Aid to Kyiv tripled? “No weapons”, reiterates Lega Nord MP Iezzi

Rome. “Aid for Kyiv tripled”, 800 million euros, almost a billion: the news lands on the League’s desks first thing in the morning, and the reaction amongst those closest to the secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini is one of being partly taken aback and partly unsurprised, whilst reiterating: our position was well known (implied: and we will act accordingly). In other words, they will act in accordance with the mandate received from Salvini himself, the League leader re-elected at the party congress in late October: in the Council of Ministers, the League secretary — this is the mandate — will hammer home the message that “enough weapons for Kyiv”. Background: on Thursday, at the European Political Community meeting in Dublin, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and brought with her not only the release of aid that was ready (but had so far been frozen), but also the good news of a massive support package worth exactly three times as much as in the past: between 800 million and one billion euros. All this came after three days of stress and drama (or a ‘circus’, to use Meloni’s own words) over the decree, which was missing the signature of the League’s Economy Minister, Giancarlo Giorgetti – a signature that eventually arrived. And so that figure is now up in the air. Almost a billion, but for what? The list of the package’s components is secret – what does the League have to say? We discuss this with Lega MP Igor Iezzi, a staunch Salvini loyalist. Apart from the fact that the ‘package’ consists of a ‘composite aid package’, the Lega, says Iezzi, ‘has not changed its mind about wanting to support Ukraine, but remains opposed to sending further arms – not as a matter of principle, but based on a realistic assessment of the situation’. What does that mean? “We continue to send weapons to Kyiv, but this has not brought us any closer to peace; on the contrary, it has led to more deaths. And this will continue as long as some European countries prioritise sending weapons over diplomatic channels, and as long as we debate this instead of considering who should represent Europe at the peace talks. It has been, and remains, the wrong choice.” “Fortunately,” continues Iezzi, “other countries, including Italy – thanks in part to the League – have worked towards toning down this emphasis on arms. But the problem remains.” What, then, should be done, in the League’s view? “We really need to consider sending one or more EU representatives to the diplomatic talks. This does not mean leaving Ukraine to fend for itself – no one in their right mind would do that – but given that people continue to die and no progress is being made, either on the battlefield or at the diplomatic level, well, we need to take a different approach.” The League previously held a less drastic position. “We have voted in favour of aid in the past, but we have always raised doubts and sought clarity, all the more so because it was the so-called ‘democracies’ that set up the negotiating tables. The League’s congress gave Salvini a clear mandate, and we have long set out our red lines, including regarding the decree which has been described as a ‘circus’: supplies for defensive purposes only – that is the limit.” The situation is further complicated by the economic climate, so to speak (the Budget Bill). “We have already discussed this issue at length. But, particularly with regard to aid, credit must be given to Italy – thanks in part to the League – for the fact that the money initially earmarked solely for weapons has also been partly channelled towards defence against threats that we have seen materialise in recent times.” Hybrid warfare involving malfunctioning fridges? False bomb alerts? “Yes, it is important not only to avoid cutting funding from other areas of expenditure in the country, but also to invest in defence against cyber-attacks.” The regulatory framework authorising Italian supplies to Kyiv expires on 31 December 2026. Therefore, by December, the government will have to assess whether to extend it. Vaste programme?