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Italy’s Salvini calls for Europe to ‘rethink’ sanctions on Russia

The leader of Italy's far-right League party, Matteo Salvini, on Sunday said the unprecedented sanctions the West had imposed on Russia over the Ukraine invasion weren't working.

Italy's Salvini calls for Europe to 'rethink' sanctions on Russia
People take part in a demonstration against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the northern city of Milan, on February 26, 2022. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)

“Several months have passed and people are paying two, three, even four times more for their bills,” he told RTL radio. “And after seven months, the war continues and Russian Federation coffers are filling with money.”

Skyrocketing energy prices since the start of the war in Ukraine have inflicted economic pain on countries in the European Union which before the war had been reliant on Russia for a large chunk of its gas supplies.

READ ALSO: Will Italy’s hard right win the election with a ‘super majority’?

Salvini later doubled down on his comments during a debate at an economic forum being held in Cernobbio, northern Italy.

“We need a European shield” to protect businesses and families, as during the Covid pandemic, Salvini told delegates during the forum.

“If we want to go ahead with the sanctions, let’s do it, we want to protect Ukraine — but I would not want that to mean that instead of harming the sanctioned, we harm ourselves,” he said.

Italy’s League party leader Matteo Salvini, known for his admiration of Vladimir Putin, said Russia has no influence on Italy’s elections. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

A day earlier he had tweeted that “those who have been sanctioned are winners and those who put the sanctions in place are on their knees.”

“It’s evident that someone in Europe has made a bad calculation. It is essential to rethink the strategy to save jobs and businesses in Italy,” he said.

Following Salvini’s comments, Enrico Letta, leader of the Democratic Party and one of his main adversaries ahead of parliamentary elections on September 25 retorted on Twitter: “I think (Russian President Vladimir) Putin couldn’t have said it better.”

He later told reporters on the sidelines of the forum on the banks of Lake Como that they were “irresponsible” statements which “risk causing very serious damage to Italy, to our reliability and to our role in Europe”.

“When I hear Salvini talk about sanctions, I feel like I’m listening to Putin’s propaganda.”

READ ALSO: Italy’s newspapers warn of Russian ‘interference’ in election

Salvini is well known as being an admirer of Vladimir Putin, and links between his League party and Moscow have raised concerns in Italy, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine.

But Giorgia Meloni – the post-fascist prime ministerial hopeful whose Brothers of Italy party has formed an alliance with the League – has taken a clear position in favour of support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia.

“If Italy lets go of its allies, for Ukraine nothing changes, but for us, a lot changes. A serious nation that wants to defend its interests must take a credible position,” she told delegates in Cernobbio.

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EU

Italy’s Meloni hopes EU ‘understands message’ from voters

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Saturday she hoped the European Union would understand the "message" sent by voters in last weekend's elections, after far-right parties such as hers made gains.

Italy's Meloni hopes EU 'understands message' from voters

Meloni, head of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, which performed particularly well in the vote, urged the EU to “understand the message that has come from European citizens”.

“Because if we want to draw lessons from the vote that everything was fine, I fear it would be a slightly distorted reading,” she told a press conference at the end of a G7 summit in Puglia.

“European citizens are calling for pragmatism, they are calling for an approach that is much less ideological on several major issues,” she said.

Meloni’s right-wing government coalition has vehemently opposed the European Green Deal and wants a harder stance on migration.

“Citizens vote for a reason. It seems to me that a message has arrived, and it has arrived clearly,” she said.

EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Monday to negotiate the top jobs, including whether European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will get a second term.

Von der Leyen’s centre-right European People’s Party strengthened its grip with the vote, but her reconfirmation is not yet in the bag.

The 65-year-old conservative was in Puglia for the G7 and likely used the summit to put her case to the leaders of France, Germany and Italy.

But Meloni refused to be drawn on whom she is backing.

“We will have a meeting on Monday, we’ll see,” she told journalists.

“We will also see what the evaluations will be on the other top roles,” she said.

Italian political watchers say Meloni is expected to back von der Leyen, but is unlikely to confirm that openly until Rome locks in a deal on commissioner jobs.

“What interests me is that… Italy is recognised for the role it deserves,” she said.

“I will then make my assessments.”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani indicated that it was unlikely any decision would be made before the French elections on June 30 and July 7.

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