A support that remains “strong” and “unchanged” – to use the words of Minister Guido Crosetto -, with a new shipment of weapons to defend against the Russian invader. Italy confirms its support for Ukraine, but the vote in Parliament highlights the divisions within the Democratic Party. Faced with the majority resolution, a large part of the Dem deputies abstained, while three decide to vote in favor. Among them there is also the former Defense Minister, Lorenzo Guerini. To journalists on the Transatlantic he will justify that yes with a “question of coherence”. With him are colleagues Marianna Madia and Lia Quartapelle, the latter head of foreign affairs of the party with Enrico Letta secretary. Same scene in the Senate, where six people vote with the center-right. The political day opens early in the morning with Crosetto's report to the Chamber. A speech lasting just over twenty minutes to analyze and support the new decree, approved by the Council of Ministers in December, which gives the green light to the eighth package of weapons shipments to Kiev. «Our support for Ukraine remains strong and unchanged», he says at the beginning, recalling «the gravity of the situation and the threat it poses to European and global order and stability». «The road ahead alongside Ukraine is still long – he underlines -, but it would be a dramatic strategic and political mistake to take a step back now. Our support must continue until the Russian attacks cease.”
Words that sound like yet another demonstration of closeness to President Volodymyr Zelensky who today invited the West to avoid hesitations that could encourage Vladimir Putin. Crosetto then reiterates that «this eighth military aid package also consists of equipment and weapon systems aimed at strengthening only and only the defensive capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces». But, in his speech in the Chamber, the Minister of Defense he also relaunches the idea of starting to seriously follow the path towards an “incisive diplomatic action”.
Crosetto notes glimmers of opening on both sides and invites the European Union to «create the conditions to start discussions with Moscow in full awareness that the conflict in Ukraine is a conflict on European territory». From Berlin, however, the German government makes it known that it believes that “Ukraine must always decide when it is ready to enter into talks” and “based on our talks with the Ukrainian side we cannot currently recognize this willingness”. «For every peace negotiation – Crosetto points out to the Chamber – we can only start from one assumption: in the war between Russia and Ukraine there is an attacked party and an aggressorthere is a nation that bombs military and civilian targets of another nation every day. Any possible peace negotiation can only start from here.”
And to those who – like the 5 Star Movement, which presented a resolution against the new shipment of weapons – express doubts about armed support for the Kiev government, Crosetto replies that «this military aid was the way in which we contributed, at our expense, to save tens of thousands of lives and Ukrainian civilians.” The minister's report convinces the Chamber that it will then vote by a large majority on the centre-right resolution. The Democratic Party opts for abstention, contrary to what it did in the past when it voted in favor. Three deputies, however, decide to support the centre-right resolution, effectively highlighting obvious internal divisions. Divisions which will then amplify in Palazzo Madama where six dem senators vote, in dissent with their group, in favor of the resolution proposed by the majority forces.
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