“Full and convinced support” for the package of measures approved by the EUwhich in the face of the “barbaric” act of Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine and the “threat to Europe”, “must react with the utmost firmness”.
The words of the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, arrive in the evening, a few hours the historic announcement from Brussels that for the first time in its history it will finance and supply weapons to a country at war.
The new Union package of measures against Russian aggression they also foresee the halt of transactions by the Russian central bank, the closure of European airspace to Russian flights, sanctions on Belarus and the banning of Russian broadcasters Russia Today and Sputnik. All initiatives, says Draghi, which Italy fully shares.
The closure of the Italian airspace, communicated by the government in the morning, concerns any type of civil or military aircraft that comes from any part of Russia or that is of a Russian company.
The government is also ready to send weapons and equipment to the Kiev forces to face the offensive of Vladimir Putin’s army: tomorrow in the afternoon a Council of Ministers will meet to adopt new provisions on the Ukrainian crisis and, according to Palazzo Chigi, “will intervene to guarantee support and assistance to the Ukrainian people through the transfer of military means, materials and equipment to the government authorities of Ukraine “.
A second rule “will introduce a procedure that allows greater flexibility in the use of the various sources of electricity in the country “.
The Italian government’s decision to send weapons to Kiev comes after Draghi’s phone call yesterday with the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky in which the prime minister had reiterated “Italy’s solidarity and closeness in the face of the attack” from Moscow and had anticipated that Italy would provide Ukraine with “assistance to defend itself”.
Tomorrow’s green light in the CDM of the rules that integrate the ‘Ukraine decree’ should come with the support of all political forces.
In the morning Matteo Salvini had held back on the possibility of sending weapons to Kiev (“send lethal weapons? Not in my name”, said the leader of the League), except to backtrack in the late afternoon: “Full confidence in Draghi and in the government for stop the Russian aggression, the bombs and the blood, with any necessary intervention and help, ”Salvini said.