Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she does not miss the days when Russian tanks were deployed in European countries, as she explained to parliament why Italy must continue supporting Ukraine and prevent its capitulation. Meloni made the remarks during an address to parliament ahead of this week's summit of EU leaders.
Meloni stressed that supporting Ukraine is not an alternative to peace but, on the contrary, a way to bring peace closer.
"Capitulation is not peace; it is conquest. If Ukraine stopped defending itself tomorrow, as many hope or suggest, we would not achieve peace. We would be discussing the occupation of a European country and the return of Soviet-style imperialism, which Europe experienced for half a century," the Italian prime minister said.
She added that she had no nostalgia for the years when European countries suffered under Soviet domination.
"I do not miss the Russian tanks that crushed the uprisings in Prague and Budapest, and I do not miss the Berlin Wall. No one will convince me that the capitulation of those defending their freedom can be called peace. The peace we seek and are working to build, even at the cost of losing public support, is a just peace," Meloni declared.
She emphasised that only a just peace could be lasting and guarantee Europe's security and Italy's national interests.
During her speech, Meloni also described the agreement between the United States and Russia on diesel fuel supplies as a highly risky decision.
The Italian prime minister has also expressed the view that Russian President Vladimir Putin is engaging in provocations across Europe to divert attention from the situation on the battlefield.
