Italian Prime Minister Advocates Continuing Military Support For Ukraine In 2023

ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th November, 2022) A negotiated solution to the Ukraine conflict will be possible only if there is parity in combat, therefore Kiev needs continuous foreign support, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday.

The Italian lower house is discussing on Tuesday if the country will continue to help Ukraine in 2023, including by sending weapons.�

"It is worth continuing to support Ukraine, because an opportunity to open the table (of negotiations) can arise only if there is balance of power on the ground," Meloni said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Italy's far-right leader believes that Russia "is not showing much desire to negotiate." Meloni has also discussed it with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who, she believes, can play a role in promoting political settlement in Ukraine.

"I spoke to Xi about the importance that China may have in maintaining an active diplomatic channel with Moscow. We also frankly told each other that Italy and China are two states very far from each other, but they have thousands of years of history behind them that can allow dialogue, even despite deep differences," Meloni said.

Italy's leading opposition forces have already submitted their resolutions on the 2023 Ukraine aid to the lower house ahead of the debate. The joint paper of the Greens and Left Alliance proposed halting any further aid to Ukraine. The populist Five Star Movement made a suggestion that each batch of aid must go through parliament approval first.

On Monday, the Brothers of Italy and Lega Nord parties submitted to the upper house a draft amendment to a bill unrelated to Ukraine, which envisages the continuation of arms supplies to Kiev next year.

Earlier in the month, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto announced his readiness to submit to the national parliament a proposal to continue the supply of weapons to Ukraine throughout 2023.

Since Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Western countries have been providing Kiev with humanitarian, military and financial aid. Moscow has denounced the flow of weapons to Ukraine from its Western allies, saying it adds fuel to the fire and warning that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.