Letters
Letters to the Editor •
The timing of Salvini and Conte’s pro-Russian statements is rather good
Who has written to the editor-in-chief, Claudio Cerasa
16 SEP 26
Translated by AI
Photo: Ansa
To the Editor – The investigations into the 16 October bombings appear to have a Plan B: to portray Sigfrido Ranucci as an unwitting ‘victim’. It remains to be seen whether the day will come when the former presenter’s case becomes the subject of a remake of the film ‘Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion’?
Giuliano Cazzola
I would suggest another remake for the screenwriters: “The Naked Gun”.
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To the Editor – Whilst Italian politics is weighing up the thresholds for governability bonuses, others are gauging the permeability of our borders and (perhaps) of future governments. During the night of 14–15 September, Italian fighter jets (part of NATO) shot down a drone of suspected Russian origin over Lithuanian territory. A few hours earlier, a Russian frigate fired two signal rockets at a Danish military helicopter in international waters. Clear and obvious signs of peace and dialogue from Moscow. Meanwhile, ProPublica reports that Umar Kremlëv, an oligarch close to Putin, financed part of the wedding celebrations in the Bahamas for Donald J. Trump’s son. The newlyweds have confirmed this, clarifying: ‘A gift from a friend, nothing to do with politics.’ Yet further evidence of a certain ‘familiarity’ between Putin and Trump. After all, a weak, fragmented and divided Europe is a brilliant deal for both of them. Another courageous journalistic investigation reveals how the Russian intelligence services recruit ‘disposable’ spies for operations in Europe. We’re not talking about James Bond, but about cheap labour, sabotage on demand. The Kremlin uses piecework espionage, whilst we are still afraid to talk about ‘hybrid warfare’, let alone have the courage to adopt a ‘democratic shield’ against foreign interference. Amidst this account of a particular day of hybrid warfare, also yesterday in Milan, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini met with Italian businesspeople operating in Russia. This time, it is not Salvini himself who is telling us about it – he who is usually so generous with selfies of his meals, from breakfast through to lunch and dinner. This time, it is the Russian ambassador Paramonov who is telling us about it; on Telegram channels, he applauds the return to ‘common sense’ and hopes that the Italian government will draw the necessary conclusions. This hope is interpreted as a call for a proactive change of heart by the Italian government regarding Russian sanctions and the resumption of trade with Russia. The aggressor thus becomes the victim, and the sanctioned party poses as the aggrieved. While Italian pilots defend allied airspace, the Deputy Prime Minister is lauded by the Russian ambassador. Call it what you will… government cohesion. On the other hand, former Prime Minister Conte is insisting on vetoing the continuation of military aid to Ukraine, at the very same time as the PD’s secretary, Elly Schlein, reaffirms her support for Kyiv. But which of these two positions will prevail, if they are to govern together? The scope is broad, but foreign policy cannot be two-faced. Waving a European flag is not enough to untangle the knot. One can compromise on a programme, but one cannot negotiate over the right of a people under attack to defend themselves (and defend us). This is the ‘opossum strategy’ of Italian bipolarism: playing dead in order to preserve alliances. European security thus becomes a variable to be assessed after the seats have been counted. Now that the political circus surrounding the electoral law is over, an alternative to the two poles is as essential as bread: common defence, support for Ukraine, European sovereignty. If there is one political legacy we should be able to draw from Emma Bonino’s story, it is that the European Union is not merely a political prospect: it is a shared destiny of the European peoples to be built and defended, not least by preventing our beloved Europe from falling at the feet of Trump and Putin.
Marco Lombardo, MP for Azione
A Russian warship fired signal flares at a Danish helicopter; NATO aircraft shot down a drone over Lithuania; 700 NATO aircraft have been deployed against Russian threats over the past two years. As for the timing—to say (Salvini) that it is time to think about how to re-establish relations with Russia and to explain why (Conte) there is no reason to provide military aid to Ukraine—it is not half bad.
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To the editor – “We’ll organise the non-voters”, says the secretary of the PD’s youth wing, and I couldn’t agree more with her. At last, someone has realised that those who don’t vote are the real problem. Because that’s the group you were talking about, wasn’t it?
Valerio Gironi
To me, however, it seems like a subtle strategy by the Young Democrats: to prevent voters from turning their backs at the ballot box by demonstrating that, when compared with their own youth base, the leaders of the broad coalition appear to be statesmen.