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UKRAINE

Italy slams ‘odious’ threats by Russia over sanctions

Italy reacted furiously Saturday to "odious and unacceptable" insults and threats by a senior Russian foreign ministry official attacking sanctions applied against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. 

Italy's Prime Minister, Mario Draghi looks on during a joint press conference with his Spanish, Portuguese and Greek (via video link) counterparts on March 18, 2022 in Rome.
Italy's Prime Minister, Mario Draghi looks on during a joint press conference with his Spanish, Portuguese and Greek (via video link) counterparts on March 18, 2022 in Rome. Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP.

Alexey Paramonov, head of the Russian foreign ministry’s European department, accused Italy of falling victim to “anti-Russian hysteria”, in comments to the state-run RIA Novosti agency. 

He said Italy had forgotten centuries-long relations and bilateral agreements “in a second”.

He said he hoped French finance minister Bruno Le Maire’s vow earlier this month to “wage a total economic and financial war on Russia” would not “find followers in Italy and cause a series of appropriate irreversible consequences”. 

Le Maire subsequently walked back his comments, conceding they had been “inappropriate”. 

Paramonov said Russia had provided “significant assistance” to Italy during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, at the request of Italy’s defence minister Lorenzo Guerini. 

Guerini was now one of the main “hawks and instigators of the anti-Russian campaign” within the government in Rome, he said. 

Italy’s foreign ministry said it “firmly rejects the threatening statements” from Moscow. Rome and its partners would “continue to exert every pressure” to stop the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, it added. 

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi condemned the “comparison between the invasion of Ukraine and the pandemic crisis in Italy” as “particularly odious and unacceptable”. 

Guerini said Italy would “not give weight to propaganda”, and continued to stand by Ukraine. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to address the Italian parliament on Tuesday. 

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UKRAINE

Italy warns against ‘rash’ moves over arms to Ukraine

Italy's foreign minister on Saturday reiterated his opposition to Ukraine using Italian weapons inside Russia, warning of a "delicate" situation where "rash" moves must be avoided.

Italy warns against 'rash' moves over arms to Ukraine

Support is growing among NATO allies for allowing Ukraine to use Western-donated weapons to strike inside Russian territory – but Rome, a founding member of the alliance, remains opposed.

“It is a very delicate moment, we must not make false steps” and must avoid “rash steps and declarations”, Antonio Tajani told a meeting in Rapallo, northwest Italy, according to the AGI and ANSA news agencies.

He added that “even the US has not authorised the indiscriminate use of its weapons against Russia, but only to strike a base from where the drones depart. They too are very cautious”, AGI reported.

Tajani added that Italy would send another package of aid to Ukraine within “weeks”.

But he repeated that “we will not send even one Italian soldier to fight in Ukraine because we are not at war with Russia”, AGI reported.

Germany said on Friday it had given Ukraine permission to fire German-delivered weapons at targets in Russia.

READ ALSO: Berlin allows Ukraine to fire German weapons at targets in Russia

The day before, US officials said Washington had partially lifted similar restrictions to allow Ukraine to defend its eastern Kharkiv region, which borders Russia.

The change in Washington’s thinking was attributed by US officials to Russia’s daily pounding of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city.

Russia fired a combined 100 missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight, in a barrage that targeted energy sites across the country, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday.

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