Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto announced on Thursday that his country will only send defensive weapons to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression, in order to stop an escalation of the conflict.
“We must have the courage to take difficult decisions to avoid worse situations. The first to avoid an escalation are the European countries and those of NATO. We all hope for the possibility of peace negotiations”said the minister during a television interview.
Crosetto took advantage of the interview to deny information published by the newspaper Il Corriere della Sera that reported an alleged shipment of state-of-the-art “drones” to Ukraine, which would not be included in government-approved decrees.
“I deny it. If it were true, it would be a crime, because the Defense Department and the State don’t know. Someone should go to jail.”explained the person responsible for the defense portfolio, a day after announcing that Italy would cooperate with France to supply Ukraine with Samp/T anti-aircraft missiles.
For the Italian minister, the new shipment of weapons and materials to Ukraine – the sixth and recently approved by parliament – is “impregnable even from a pacifist point of view”.
“Aid to Ukraine, even military aid, is what rules out the possibility of a dramatic escalation of a conflict between two nations,” Crosetto added.
“Italians remain friends with Russians, I hope that relations between peoples will continue to be based on respect and friendship”concluded the minister.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14 million people — 6.5 million internally displaced persons and nearly eight million to European countries — according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
Source: DN
