Italian Minister Says Rome Will Oppose Extension Of EU Sanctions On Russia
Italy's deputy prime minister says his nation will oppose a renewal of
European Union sanctions against Russia, but he suggested Rome is not
ready to break with the rest of the EU and veto a rollover of the
sanctions.
"I come here because I am convinced that sanctions are economic, social,
and cultural madness," Matteo Salvini said on a visit to Moscow on
October 17. Salvini leads Italy's far-right League party and is also
Italy's interior minister,
He criticized the basis of the sanctions, which were imposed on Moscow
after Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and
backing for separatists in eastern Ukraine in a war against the
government.
The EU's dominant powers, Germany and France, and most other EU members
have said the sanctions should stay in place until progress is made in
ending that conflict.
Salvini charged that the EU is sanctioning Russia for "alleged
violations against Ukraine," while taking no action over Turkey's
occupation of northern Cyprus -- "a European country" -- since 1974.
"It is folly," he said, vowing to "do his best" to bring an end to the
Russian sanctions, or at least to resist attempts to make their renewal
every six months automatic.
"If we are asked to confirm, we will say no. It's clear that it makes no
sense that they are in place," he told a gathering of Italian
businessmen in Moscow in a speech live-streamed on his Facebook
account..
But he stopped short of saying Rome would veto a plan to roll over the
sanctions, which is expected to come before a summit of EU leaders in
December. The sanctions are due to expire in January.
"We can only play the veto joker once in Europe," Salvini said, noting
that Italy is also battling Brussels on other fronts, including over the
EU budget, immigration reform, and Italy's own, contested 2019 budget.
"If they reject that, I don't know what card I will play," he said.
EU sources have told RFE/RL that Italy might agree to extend the
sanctions if the EU agrees to Rome's proposal to soften them somewhat by
reviving EU bank funding for small Russian businesses that were not
targeted by the sanctions.
Both Salvini's League party and Italy's other governing party, the Five
Star Movement, are opposed to Russian sanctions on the grounds that they
hurt Italian businesses and the economy.
Salvini has openly expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir
Putin, and the League signed a cooperation deal in 2017 with United
Russia, Russia's dominant political party.
"I feel at home here. In some European countries I don't. Here, I feel
as safe as in my home," Salvini told the Moscow gathering.
During his visit Salvini, was received by Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is due in Moscow next week for talks with Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
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