la Repubblica: Italy preparing new aid package for Ukraine

The eighth package of Italian military assistance to Ukraine may be ready by 2023; Kyiv has requested materials from Rome to strengthen the air defence system.

As la Repubblica reported, Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani announced the preparation of a new package of military assistance in Kyiv. According to him, “the list includes not only lethal weapons but also equipment, possibly night vision goggles.”

As the newspaper notes, it is not yet known what kind of weapons systems the Italian government is considering transferring. The article also emphasizes that after Italy, together with France, supplied Ukraine with Samp-T systems, Vlodymyr Zelenskyy “asked again to contribute to the air defence of cities” of Ukraine.

According to la Repubblica, Ukraine’s requests do not coincide with the stock of weapons available to the Italian Armed Forces, therefore the Italian Ministry of Defense “would prefer to complete the process secretly and without public statements, and then make the final decisions public.”