ROME, Nov 5 — Italy is finalising a new military aid package for Ukraine, its first of this year, and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto will present it to lawmakers next week, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Source: Reuters

The package is Italy's 13th tranche of military assistance since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and it is expected to be approved after Crosetto briefs the COPASIR parliamentary intelligence and security committee on November 10, Reuters said.

Source: DevDiscourse (Reuters)

While the contents will remain classified, the people said the package could include Aster interceptor missiles for the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air-defence system, Reuters reported. Kyiv has repeatedly appealed for more air-defence capabilities to counter Russian missile and drone attacks on cities and critical infrastructure.

A package that was ready, then frozen

Awaaz Punjab reported in late October that the same 13th package was ready but frozen, after Rome missed the end-of-October timeline it had given French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with La Repubblica reporting the delay until after the US midterm elections. Read the earlier story: Italy's Ukraine aid package frozen

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had also said in late October that the next package was already ready and would be sent to Kyiv as soon as possible, in remarks reported by ANSA. Read: Tajani says the aid package is ready

Thursday's Reuters report is the first to set a dated next step for the package since those October reports: a COPASIR briefing on November 10, after which approval is expected, according to the two people familiar with the matter. Italian aid packages are presented to COPASIR, which oversees the intelligence services, before they move forward, and their contents have stayed classified since 2022.

A coalition split over arming Kyiv

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has remained one of Ukraine's strongest supporters among Western leaders, but her ruling coalition has become increasingly split on the issue, Reuters reported. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and his League party say they would oppose further weapons deliveries to Kyiv, while Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Crosetto have defended military assistance as part of Italy's commitments to the European Union and NATO.

The government is authorised to deliver the package under a decree approved late last year that allows arms shipments to Ukraine until December 31, Reuters said. It remains unclear whether Meloni will seek parliamentary approval to extend military assistance through 2027, an issue likely to become more contentious as Italy moves closer to general elections due next year.

What happens next: Crosetto's November 10 briefing to COPASIR is the step the package is expected to clear before approval. Beyond that, the December 31 expiry of the authorising decree and the unresolved question of a 2027 extension will decide whether this is Italy's last Ukraine package under the current mandate or the start of another year of deliveries.