Meloni: US-Russia Diesel Deal Is a Very Risky Step

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the agreement between the US and Russia on the supply of diesel as "a very risky step". According to her, it runs counter to efforts to force Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table with Ukraine. The information is being reported by Reuters.

Meloni said: "This grants legitimacy to Moscow at a time when its bombs continue to fall on Ukrainian cities, creates new revenue needed to finance the war, and secretly undermines the effectiveness of sanctions".

According to the Italian prime minister, the 27 member states of the European Union should appoint an "authoritative figure" who would negotiate on behalf of Europe regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. She did not rule out that an official mandate could be given to the E3 group, which includes Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

Meloni noted: "If France, Germany and Great Britain believe that they can achieve a better result independently than would be possible through our joint efforts - and so far they have chosen precisely this path - then let them, at the very least, do it on behalf of everyone and with an official mandate".

According to her, support for Ukraine is not an alternative to peace; on the contrary, it is precisely what makes peace possible. Meloni stated: "Because if an aggressor can achieve the capitulation of its opponent, why would it need negotiations? If Ukraine stopped defending itself tomorrow, as many hope and propose, we would not have peace. We would be talking about the occupation of a European state and the return of Soviet-style imperialism, which Europe experienced for half a century".

According to Meloni, the EU summit will discuss the escalation of Russia's hybrid attacks. The discussion concerns drone incursions, cyberattacks, sabotage and other covert operations, whose aim is to weaken support for Kyiv.

Italian Prime Minister said: "We must protect our critical infrastructure: energy systems, undersea cables, ports, airports and the underwater space, where Italy has particular expertise"