Ukraine and Russia both want Italy as ‘guarantor’: Draghi
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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi affirms that all the parties want to see a glimmer of hope.
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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi stated that his country had been approached to serve as a guarantor of a potential peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine.
This week, the parties met again in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
At a press conference in Rome, Draghi told reporters that Italy has been “requested by Russia and Ukraine to become a guarantor of the implementation of negotiations terms.”
"In fact, the positions of the parties have come a little closer," the prime minister said, adding that he was "cautious because there is still a lot of skepticism."
"We all want to see a glimmer of hope," Draghi said.
According to the Italian government, he told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call, on Wednesday, that his country was ready to contribute to the peace process.
Ukrainian negotiators proposed becoming a non-aligned country in exchange for legally binding security guarantees in Istanbul. Russia has repeatedly cited Ukraine's desire to join NATO as one of the reasons for the military campaign.
Russia had launched a special military operation in Ukraine over NATO's eastward expansion, the Ukrainian shelling of Donbass, and the killing of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, in addition to Moscow wanting to "denazify" and demilitarize Ukraine.
