“The League party said that Russian assets frozen in the European Union after a full-scale invasion in 2022 should be returned to Moscow.”, — write: www.unian.ua
The League party said that Russian assets frozen in the European Union after a full-scale invasion in 2022 should be returned to Moscow.
In Italy, the government is divided over the issue of continued support for Ukraine / photo Office of the PresidentLawmakers in Georgia Maloney’s government are increasingly divided over whether Italy should continue providing aid to Ukraine, while EU leaders rush to bolster financial and military support for Kyiv.
As Bloomberg writes, on Thursday the League party, which is part of the coalition, said that frozen Russian assets in the European Union should be returned to Moscow after a full-scale invasion in 2022. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani rejected this statement, stressing that Italy’s foreign policy is determined by him and Meloni.
“The line is set by the prime minister, and I share her position,” Tajani said.
It is noted that at the center of the dispute is the question of whether the government will continue to provide aid to Kyiv in 2026. This decision should be made before the end of the year. Voting was planned for Thursday, but the procedure was postponed. Maloney is currently refraining from commenting on the controversy in the coalition. However, she made it clear that the decree on support for Ukraine will be approved and called the delay a “logistical issue”.
The differences arise amid difficulties in the EU over whether and in what form to use frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine. Most of the funds are concentrated in Belgium, which opposes their use due to excessive legal and financial risks.
Officially, the Maloney government insists that it has not changed its course on supporting Kyiv. However, against the background of changes in the geopolitical situation, funding cuts and a series of upcoming elections, including parliamentary ones, Italy’s position looks contradictory.
Tajani hinted for the first time this week that Italy would suspend its participation in NATO’s program to supply Ukraine with American weapons. He called it “premature” against the background of ongoing peace negotiations.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto from Meloni’s “Brothers of Italy” party tried to ease tensions in the coalition, noting that the “League” has always supported the government’s decision to help Ukraine. “I think it will be the same this time,” he told state broadcaster Rai.
It added that Maloney came to power in late 2022 and maintained a pro-Ukrainian stance, allaying fears of a possible isolationist course. Since the beginning of the war, Italy has prepared 12 aid packages for Ukraine worth more than €2.5 billion, including air defense systems.
Reparation credit – positions of BelgiumIt will be recalled that the Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said that Belgium can support the provision of a “reparation loan” to Ukraine at the expense of the frozen assets of the Russian Federation. However, for this, the European Union must fulfill three conditions. He called the provision of “full mutual responsibility for risks” one of the conditions for supporting the allocation of a “reparation loan”. The second condition is “ensuring liquidity and risk protection”, the third – Brussels expects a fair distribution of costs.
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