The leader of the Brothers of Italy (FdI), Giorgia Meloni, winner of the Italian legislature on Sunday, assured Ukraine that it can count on the full support of the country’s new government.
“You can count on our loyal support for the cause of the freedom of the Ukrainian people. Stay strong and keep the faith!” Meloni wrote on the social network Twitter, in a message addressed to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
sweet @ZelenskyyUa, you know that you can count on our loyal support for the freedom of the Ukrainian people. Stay strong and keep your faith steadfast!
— Giorgia Meloni ن (@Giorgia Meloni) September 27, 2022
Meloni’s message came in response to an earlier message from Zelensky, in which the Ukrainian head of state congratulated the candidate and the FdI on their election victory.
“We appreciate Italy’s continued support for Ukraine against Russian aggression. We look forward to a fruitful cooperation with the new Italian government,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter in two messages, in Ukrainian and Italian.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has publicly shown the country’s support for Ukraine since the start of the war. Meloni had also already condemned the Russian invasion.
The same does not apply to the coalition partners of FdI, Liga and Força Italia.
League leader Matteo Salvini has over the years expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Already after the invasion, Salvini questioned the effectiveness of the sanctions against Russia.
In 2019, the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation involving Gianluca Savoini, former spokesperson for Matteo Salvini, who allegedly negotiated in a Moscow hotel to obtain funds through the sale of oil.
According to the indictment, the funds were earmarked for the League, but Salvini claimed the former spokesperson did not speak on behalf of the party and was merely conducting business.
On September 22, Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi argued that Putin, with whom he is close, was pushed into the war in Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists in Donbass, the Russian media and the Russian people.
Source: DN
