Politics
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A turning point in the skies. Crosetto speaks
From defence to neutralisation. The minister explains why the incident in Lithuania is ‘epoch-making’ for NATO
(Photo: Ansa)
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has no doubts: what happened on Tuesday in Lithuania marks a new phase for NATO and for Italy too. Two Italian Air Force Eurofighters, deployed in Šiauliai with the Baltic Thunder III task force, took off following the violation of Lithuanian airspace and neutralised the drone. No longer merely surveillance of the skies, then, but active defence of the Alliance’s territory. “Italy has once again demonstrated that it is up to the task of the new challenge that NATO presents to us,” Crosetto told Il Foglio. “We are facing a momentous turning point: it is no longer just a matter of monitoring and defending the skies, but of being ready, when necessary, to neutralise threats.” For the minister, the incident demonstrates one thing above all: “The threat is real; it is neither a fabrication nor a propaganda ploy: Russia’s aggressive and provocative stance is a reality which the Alliance – and therefore Italy too – will, unfortunately, have to contend with.”
Nasce a Palermo nel 1982, vive a Roma da parecchio tempo, lavora al Foglio dal 2005 e da gennaio 2015 è direttore. Ha scritto qualche libro (“Le catene della destra” e “Le catene della sinistra”, con Rizzoli, “Io non posso tacere”, con Einaudi, “Tra l’asino e il cane. Conversazione sull’Italia”, con Rizzoli, “La Presa di Roma”, con Rizzoli, e "Ho visto l'uomo nero", con Castelvecchi), è su Twitter.
E’ interista, ma soprattutto palermitano. Va pazzo per i Green Day, gli Strokes, i Killers, i tortini al cioccolato e le ostriche ghiacciate. Due figli.