On Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy announced a collegial decision to withdraw the invitation sent to Russia for a meeting of the group of experts on operational issues of the Initiative to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This is reported by Rai.

The Italian foreign policy department emphasized that the decision to withdraw Russia's invitation was made in agreement with the leading countries participating in the Initiative. Italy currently presides over this format.

"The exclusion is motivated not only by Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine, but also in light of the increasingly polarizing and unfavorable position that Moscow is taking at key international forums on disarmament and non-proliferation, having recently opposed the unanimous approval of the final document of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference weapons," the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes.