Overview
- Speaking to La Repubblica, Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini alleged Berlin and Paris want the war to continue, saying it might be to sell weapons, without offering evidence.
- Salvini praised President Donald Trump’s proposal as remarkable and ambitious and said he hoped no one obstructs it, arguing the EU had already done so with a counterplan.
- He leads the Lega party, a junior partner in the three-year right‑wing government, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has maintained firm support for the EU’s Ukraine policy.
- The accusations revive recurring friction in Rome over Ukraine strategy, with Salvini frequently diverging from the government line through Russia‑leaning rhetoric.
- His comments follow a pattern of provocative attacks on French leadership that previously triggered diplomatic complaints, underscoring the cross‑border sensitivity of his claims.