Deputy Premier and Transport Minister
Matteo Salvini on Saturday quashed reports of friction with
Premier Giorgia Meloni over contacts with the American
administration after he agreed to visit the White House in a
phone conversation with US Vice President J.D. Vance Friday.
"I've read some newspapers that talk about war with Meloni on
contacts with the United States, but you've got to be joking,
it's not journalism",
he said, describing the purported reconstructions of tensions
between the two Italian leaders as "non-existent and surreal
speculation".
As for the peace process in Ukraine, for Salvini "it is
objective that Trump in two months is doing more for peace than
others have done in years, years and years.
"We must help, accompany this blessed peace process, without
talking about tanks or 800 billion...".
Salvini has come out against the EU's 800 billion euro ReArm
Europe programme for defence and security amid the Russian
threat while Meloni has voiced misgivings about sourcing the
funds from national budgets.
Salvini, who heads the rightwing nationalist League party, has
long been an admirer of US President Donald Trump and in the
past voiced very favourable views on Russian President Vladimir
Putin.
Meloni, who leads the national conservative Brothers of Italy
(FdI) party, is on friendly terms with Trump but has been a
staunch supporter of Kyiv's stated aim of reclaiming all the
land Moscow has taken before and after its invasion of its
smaller neighbour on February 24, 2022.
The Italian premier has ruled out sending Italian troops to
police any ceasefire in Ukraine but Italy has said participation
under a UN flag would be possible.
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