Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has once again fallen victim to Russian pranksters who have already managed to call several other European leaders.
A 13-minute audio recording of the conversation, which was scheduled to take place in September, was published online on November 1. The authors are Russian jokers – Vovan and Lexus.
In a statement, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office expressed regret that the head of the Italian government was fooled by an impostor posing as president of the African Union Commission. The conversation took place on September 18, on the eve of meetings with African leaders at the UN General Assembly.
War and migrants
Reuters describes Meloni as saying in response to a question about Russia’s full-scale war with Ukraine: I see that there is a lot of fatigue on all sides. We are close to the point where everyone understands that we need a way out.
– The problem is to find a solution acceptable to both sides, without destroying international law – added Giorgia Meloni.
Speaking about Italy’s position on being the first destination for many North African migrants, she complained that international partners were not doing enough to help. – Everyone agrees that Italy must solve this problem itself. This is a very stupid way of thinking, Meloni noted.
Estonia previously reported suspicions that several European leaders, including Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, received phone calls from pranksters on behalf of the African Union.
In the past, Elina Valtonen, the Finnish foreign minister, was tricked by Russians who made a video call to her under someone else’s name, as had previously happened to other European officials. Vovan and Lexus managed to initiate a conversation, among other things: with the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, and in the spring of 2022 they called the then British Minister of Defense, Ben Wallace, on behalf of the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
