Italian PM says Europe should not respond to Russian provocations

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said she believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly provoking European allies of Ukraine in an attempt to divert attention from the unfavourable situation on the battlefield, noting that they should not respond to such provocations.

Speaking after a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo, she stressed that Putin is seeking to escalate the conflict with Europe as the situation on the battlefield is not developing as he promised, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

“We must ask ourselves who benefits from escalation and act accordingly. We must not respond to provocations; this will benefit Russia more than Europe,” she clarified.

Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said intelligence indicated that Russia had “plans for hybrid attacks” against countries supporting Ukraine.

Against this backdrop, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU planned to present a new security strategy that would complement Article 4 of the NATO Treaty.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov