In the meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni would also have addressed the issue of the meeting in Paris that preceded the visit to Brussels and which provoked an attack on President Emmanuel Macron. The invitation to Zelensky by the French president, along with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, was “inappropriate”, according to the tenant of Palazzo Chigi.
“There are times when prioritizing domestic political opinion risks damaging the cause” of maintaining unity, noted the prime minister as she entered the EU summit. “I have no comments to make”, was the response of the tenant of the Elysée, not least because, he underlined, “Germany and France have played a particular role in this matter for eight years”. On Wednesday, Palazzo Chigi leaked plans for a bilateral Meloni-Zelensky deal on the sidelines of the European Council.
Then, an extension of time led the Ukrainian leader to organize meetings with the Heads of State and Government in groups of six. In addition to the group meeting, the prime minister had a two-way conversation between one group and the other, in which she reiterated Italy’s support and thanked Zelensky for what has been done so far. At the meeting between the delegations, the dates of Meloni’s possible trip to Kiev, scheduled before the anniversary of the war, on February 24, were also discussed. Little space for the third founding country of the EU, excluded from the Franco-German axis. “I regret that France and Germany alone think they can represent Europe. Without Italy we are not going anywhere”, attacked Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini.
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
