Meloni says Trump deal on Russian diesel is risky and legitimizes Moscow

(ANSA) - ROME, 14 OTT - Premier Giorgia Meloni said Wednesday United States President Donald Trump's deal on Russian diesel is risky and legitimizes Moscow. "The deal on Russian diesel announced last Friday by US President Donald Trump is a move I consider very risky." she said during her address to the Senate ahead of the European Council meeting on Thursday and Friday. She explained that "the surge in fuel prices is due primarily to the war in Iran, not the conflict in Ukraine. "Consequently, the outcome of this move is questionable, while the risks are clear: legitimizing Moscow while its bombs continue to fall on Ukrainian cities, generating new revenue to finance the war, and implicitly weakening the leverage of sanctions—these are factors we cannot ignore, and they contradict the actions taken so far by Western nations, including the United States, to press Putin to come to the negotiating table." As for the EU budget, Meloni stated that an agreement would be signed "only when it is right for Italy." And regarding defence funding, she said: "This is not money taken away from healthcare or education; if we didn't spend it on defence, we couldn't spend it on anything else—we are not a government of warmongers." Meloni goes into the October 15-16summit seeking greater budget flexibility in light of surging inflation, after already obtaining some fiscal leeway on energy and defence. The Italian government badly needs as much room as possible for expansionary moves as it shapes its last budget before elections next year. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti has however warned that storm clouds are on the horizon in the shape of rising market scrutiny on Italian debt. (ANSA).
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