Meloni: Italy will not abandon Ukraine support for electoral gain
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview with Il Foglio that she will not give up support for Ukraine for the sake of political or electoral calculations and will not form a coalition with forces that vote against such support ahead of 2027 elections. She framed her backing of Kyiv as serving Italian national interest, saying she supported Ukraine "for the sake of Rome."
Key points
- Meloni made the remarks in an interview with Italian newspaper Il Foglio.
- She said it would have been more electorally advantageous not to support Ukraine.
- She ruled out coalitions with political forces that vote against Ukraine support ahead of 2027 elections.
- She stated: "I supported Ukraine not for the sake of Kyiv. I supported Ukraine for the sake of Rome."
- Her warning was interpreted as directed at Roberto Vannacci, a former general turned politician who criticizes the EU and military aid to Ukraine.
- According to the Eurispes annual report, over 44% of Italians see defense spending as a burden; 32.1% view it as a strategic investment.
- Defense spending has reportedly caused tension within the ruling coalition, notably with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini's League party.
Why it matters
Meloni's statement signals Italy's continued backing of Ukraine despite domestic political pressure and upcoming elections. By explicitly refusing to coalition with anti-Ukraine forces, she frames Ukraine support as a defining line within Italian politics. Her justification — that supporting Ukraine serves Italian national interest rather than being an act of solidarity with Kyiv — is aimed at a domestic audience where defense spending is increasingly unpopular.
What happened
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she will not abandon support for Ukraine for electoral or political gain. She noted that, from an electoral standpoint, it would have been more advantageous for her not to support Ukraine, and stated she would not form a coalition with political forces that vote against support for Ukraine ahead of 2027 elections. She framed her backing as serving Italian interests: "I supported Ukraine not for the sake of Kyiv. I supported Ukraine for the sake of Rome." Meloni also said Ukraine's resistance helped many Europeans rediscover a sense of identity and patriotism, and that Russia's attempt to capture Kyiv awakened Europe from the illusion that the great risks of the past were behind it. She described the war as marking the end of an era when European countries could delegate their security to others, and said Europe responded more decisively than Moscow expected. On domestic politics, Meloni defended the increase in defense spending — acknowledged as unpopular among Italians — and said those seeking a prime minister who changes opinion depending on party support should look elsewhere. Her warning was interpreted as directed at Roberto Vannacci, a former general turned politician who openly criticizes the EU and military aid to Ukraine.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All three Ukrainian-language sources — Yevropeiska Pravda, LIGA.net LB.ua and ZN.UA — center Meloni's refusal to trade Ukraine support for political gain, presenting it as a reassuring signal of Italy's reliability as a partner. They emphasize her framing that supporting Ukraine serves Italian interests ("for the sake of Rome, not Kyiv"), highlighting how she communicates the policy to domestic audiences. The sources also surface the Vannacci dispute and intra-coalition tensions with the League to underline that Meloni's pro-Ukraine line is being contested from within Italian politics.
Where reporting differs
Two factual divergences appear across the source articles. First, one article specifies that on September 4 Meloni's government became the longest-lasting government in the history of the Italian Republic after Benito Mussolini's fascist dictatorship, while another article states only that she became the longest-serving continuously serving prime minister in the history of the Italian Republic, without the date or Mussolini comparison. Second, one article frames upcoming elections as "next year," while another specifies elections in 2027.
Background
On September 4, Meloni's government became the longest-serving continuously serving government in the history of the Italian Republic, in the comparison used by one of the Ukrainian sources. A Eurispes annual report found that over 44% of Italians view defense spending as a burden, 32.1% as a strategic investment, and roughly a quarter are undecided. Defense spending has reportedly caused tension within Italy's ruling coalition, notably with the League party of Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini. Meloni's warning was interpreted as directed at Roberto Vannacci, a former general turned politician who criticizes the EU and military aid to Ukraine and who is trying to capitalize on dissatisfaction with Meloni's policy toward Europe and her foreign policy course.