ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s Defense Minister criticized the failure of economic sanctions against Russia. He urged the West to negotiate a diplomatic solution with President Putin.
Italy calls for a truce in Ukraine and advocates peace talks with Putin.
Guido Crosetto, speaking to Il Messaggero, stated that the West’s sanctions couldn’t halt Russia’s aggression. He suggested it overestimated its global economic influence.
“Instead … the only way to resolve this crisis is to involve everyone, first (to obtain) a truce and then peace,” Crosetto said.
In answer to the interviewer’s objection that Putin had shown no willingness to negotiate, Crosetto replied: “that is a good reason for us to try harder. We mustn’t give up any possible path of diplomacy, however narrow.”
Crosetto defended Italy’s arms shipments to Ukraine, aiming for “time and conditions” for peace. He justified it as crucial for achieving truce and peace.
Italy this year holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven major democracies.
In other remarks, Crosetto said that if Russian troops were to occupy Kyiv, it would “inevitably lead to a clash with other nations, which would not accept Russian tanks on their borders.”
The Italian minister believed Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russia last summer was a mistake due to Russia’s military superiority.
Crosetto said he had personally warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that it was doomed to failure, “but I wasn’t listened to.”
Furthermore, Italy’s diplomatic intervention in the Ukraine crisis reflects the country’s role as a key player in European geopolitics.
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