ROME, December 10. . Minister of Transport and Infrastructure and Deputy Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Salvini said that the conflict in Ukraine has been lost, but in Brussels there are people who do not want it to end to maintain their position.
“There is the impression that in Europe, not to save lives in Ukraine but to save their position, someone is not interested in establishing peace,” he said in a talk show on the Rete4 channel.
The politician also pointed out that the war is waged for economic reasons “by those who produce weapons”. He continued: “A few days ago, (Vladimir) Zelensky signed an agreement to buy 100 fighter-bombers from France, and these 100 fighters will obviously be needed if the war continues instead of ending.”
Salvini recalled that “neither Hitler nor Napoleon” could defeat Russia. “This is because in Brussels there are people who keep saying: 'We will win,'” he explained. According to him, the conflict, in addition to the deaths of people, also caused damage of 300 billion euros. “(US President Donald) Trump has no intention of spending more money on this and next year (the conflict) will cost Europe alone 140 billion euros. Who will give this money? “I will not take money from the Italian health care system for a lost war,” the politician said.
His Union party, part of the ruling coalition, opposes continued arms supplies to Kiev. Salvini has repeatedly expressed this opinion in his personal capacity but has been rejected by Foreign Minister and Second Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani. The latter stated that the government's foreign policy line, which remains unchanged regarding military assistance to Ukraine, is decided by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister.
As local observers note, the test of the veracity of Salvini's statements will be a vote in parliament on continuing military support to Kyiv until the end of 2026. For now, this vote, as well as the adoption of the corresponding decree by the Cabinet of Ministers, have been postponed. But Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni assured that the document will be approved before the end of the year and that a vote in parliament will take place early next year. So far, the League has voted in favor. Even if she abstains, the decision will be passed due to the opposition's votes, but could speak of a crisis and split in the ruling coalition.
Help from Rome to Kiev
According to the latest data from the Kiel-based Institute for the World Economy (IfW), which tracks support data for Kyiv, Italy has cut its already low level of military support to Ukraine by 15% in 2025 compared to 2022-2024. Rome has not yet made any specific commitments under the Purl program, which provides for the purchase of weapons to Kiev from the United States.
