Italy says to stop arms supplies to Ukraine as peace talks begin
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More arms for Ukraine: Italian legislators approve a government plan to continue military aid through 2023.
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Italian arms supplies to Ukraine to stop with peace talks (Lorenzo Maccotta/Contrasto)
Italian legislators on Tuesday approved a government plan to continue military aid through 2023. The defense minister of Italy assured parliament that Italy will stop supplying arms to Ukraine as soon as peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine begin.
Despite tensions within her rightist ruling coalition and many Italian citizens standing against arming Ukraine, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has repeatedly vowed to continue her support for the country. "I am aware that military aid will have to end sooner or later, and will end when we will have the peace talks that we are all hoping for," Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said as he addressed the upper house, Senate.
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'An open buffet'
Italy's cabinet earlier this month approved a decree allowing it to continue providing Ukraine with weaponry for the entirety of next year without formally requesting parliamentary approval for each new shipment.
"There is no doubt that we all want peace, but this goal cannot be pursued without providing assistance to a country facing unilateral aggression in violation of international law," Crosetto said.
While keeping the specifics of the deliveries a state secret, the previous administration, led by Mario Draghi, had Italy's government approve five shipments of armaments to Ukraine. Crosetto said he would follow the same approach.
A representative of the ruling coalition told Reuters in November that Italy was preparing a sixth arms package, which would include the air defense systems Kiev had sought. However, the proposal has not yet received approval.
A resolution backing the delivery of armaments to Ukraine as agreed with NATO and EU partners was passed by the Senate following a discussion of Crosetto's comments on a 143-29 vote, according to Reuters.
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The government was asked to step up diplomatic efforts for peace in the resolution, which was adopted by the ruling coalition, which includes Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, Matteo Salvini's League, and Meloni's Brothers of Italy.
Alternative resolutions that were not put to a vote were presented by some opposition parties, including the left-leaning 5-Star Movement. These resolutions demanded a halt to the export of weapons and a greater emphasis on humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping activities.
