Italy pressured Zelenskyy for concessions to end the war quickly, supporting U.S. interests, while Ukraine expects the transfer of frozen assets and assistance with weapons.
Italy seems willing to support Trump in his push to end the war quickly, even at Ukraine’s expense.
During a meeting in Rome earlier this week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spent an hour and a half persuading Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to agree to painful concessions to end the war, UNIAN writes, citing the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The article notes that “behind the façade of a constructive meeting and mutual trust,” as the 90-minute conversation between Meloni and Zelenskyy was officially presented, lies “a different story”: a story of mutual pressure.
“From our prime minister’s side, the message was direct, with the takeaway being: ‘Consider the possibility that some painful concessions may have to be made,’” the Italian newspaper writes.
According to journalists, overall the Ukrainian-Italian negotiations “did not go entirely smoothly” because Italy supports the Americans’ rush for a peace deal and is generally more inclined to back the U.S. position than that of European countries. In addition, Meloni’s team “is not without remarks” regarding the corruption scandal in Ukraine.
The publication notes, citing rumors within Italy’s ruling party, that Meloni “applies a certain kind of moral pressure” on Zelenskyy, including on behalf of the White House. In turn, the Ukrainian president asks the Italian prime minister to soften Trump’s stance and try to smooth out the decision that the U.S. president seems to have already made — to achieve peace as quickly as possible, even at the cost of concessions from Kyiv.
In turn, Ukraine also has its own “shopping list”: what Kyiv expects from Italy but has not yet received. In this context, the publication specifically mentions a more active role for Rome in transferring frozen Russian assets to Ukraine and joining the financing of American weapons purchases for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
War in Ukraine: Italy’s Position
As UNIAN wrote, Italy has decided not to join NATO’s PURL program for supplying American weapons to Ukraine due to ongoing peace negotiations. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani explained that it is currently premature, since if an agreement is reached, hostilities will cease, and Ukraine will need other security guarantees rather than weapons.
Earlier in October, the Rome government signaled its readiness to join the program; however, Italy has now become the first European country to suggest refraining from deliveries during the negotiations.
