The Russian ambassador has friends in Italy to thank

Today, the Russian ambassador to Italy, Alexei Paramonov, gave Giuseppe Conte and Roberto Vannacci cause for embarrassment: he explained how Moscow is watching the divisions in Italian politics with interest. In an interview with TASS, he spoke of “another Italy”, one opposed to the government’s line and keen to re-establish ties with the Kremlin. And when the Russian news agency explicitly mentioned the Five Star Movement and Futuro Nazionale, the ambassador was careful not to bestow labels of friendship, but he did point out that Moscow is prepared to talk to anyone.

This is no endorsement: it is a snapshot of a convergence that should give its protagonists pause for thought. Conte and Vannacci come from different worlds, use different languages and are targeting different voters. One seeks to represent the pacifism of the progressive camp, the other the nationalism of the right wing most hostile towards Brussels. Yet both end up on Russian diplomacy’s radar. There is one question Conte and Vannacci should ask themselves: why do their words sound so useful to those who started the war? Paramonov even goes so far as to describe Zelensky as the one responsible for the risk of dragging Italy into the conflict. The reversal is complete: the aggressor becomes the one who wants dialogue, whilst the victim becomes the one who wants war.

There is one final twist. Conte and Vannacci disagree on almost everything; they aspire to represent opposing worlds and champion incompatible causes. Yet in the account by Putin’s ambassador, they feature in the very same paragraph. The broad spectrum that nobody had foreseen: the one best seen from Moscow.