Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday, October 26, that a new package of military aid for Ukraine is ready, speaking to journalists in Milan, ANSA reported via Censor.NET. “My position is well known: we stand with Ukraine and will continue to support it for as long as necessary,” Tajani said. “The next military aid package is already ready, and we will send it to Kyiv as soon as possible.” No value or contents for the package were disclosed in the reports.
Source: Europe Says / Censor.NET, reporting ANSA
Tajani, who is also deputy prime minister and leader of the centre-right Forza Italia party, was responding to Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, who said after his re-election as leader of the right-wing League party on Sunday that he would seek to end Italy's economic and military support for Ukraine. At an extraordinary congress in Milan, Salvini retained the League leadership, defeating Senator and former tourism minister Massimo Garavaglia by 465 votes to 146.
Source: Europe Says / Censor.NET, reporting ANSA
Speaking on the sidelines of a visit to the Montebello Carabinieri barracks in Milan, Tajani added that he hoped a meeting between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's President Vladimir Putin could take place as soon as possible, perhaps with American and European participation, so that peace could be achieved. “Peace is our goal, but it must be a just peace; Ukraine's defeat cannot be the price of peace,” he said, according to LaPresse.
Source: LaPresse
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto also pushed back on Monday, saying Italy's stance on Ukraine cannot change, ANSA reported. According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Salvini after his speech to express her displeasure with the ultimatum and warn him against publicly exposing divisions within the coalition, Rapporteur reported. Meloni has already rejected speculation that she could strike electoral deals with political forces opposed to military assistance to Ukraine, saying she would not abandon her convictions for electoral advantage.
Source: Rapporteur, reporting La Repubblica and ANSA
The dispute comes as Italy's right-wing parties compete for voters ahead of next year's general election, with Salvini facing competition from former army general Roberto Vannacci's far-right National Future party, an outspoken critic of EU support for Ukraine. Kyiv estimates it will face a financing gap of around €70 billion in 2027 — yaani roughly seven thousand crore euros — with EU member states committed to covering roughly two-thirds of the shortfall, and the European Commission aiming to strike a deal to cover the gap in 2026, Rapporteur reported.
Source: Rapporteur