A report by Bloomberg stated: “These statements represent the most prominent evidence that the government of Giorgia Meloni has changed its strategy towards Ukraine after resources were depleted and tensions arose within the ruling coalition.” The report noted that Meloni’s government affirms its continued support for Ukraine, yet it has become the first European government to explicitly declare the futility of supplying additional weapons during ceasefire negotiations.
Earlier, Tajani had expressed his hope that Ukraine would not need more weapons soon and considered Rome’s participation in NATO’s program to purchase American weapons for Ukraine premature. In November, the Italian newspaper Repubblica reported that Meloni canceled Defense Minister Guido Crosetto’s visit to Washington, during which he was supposed to approve the first batch of investments for purchasing American weapons for Ukraine.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denis Shmyhal announced in August that the United States and NATO launched a new mechanism to support Ukraine through the same initiative, allowing for rapid weapon supplies through voluntary contributions from NATO member countries. On its part, Russia considers that weapon supplies to Ukraine hinder the settlement process, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict, and constitute “playing with fire.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained that any weapon shipments to Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russia, while the Kremlin confirmed that arming Ukraine by the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative impact.
