Ukraine rift puts Italy’s Meloni at odds with EU partners

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has skipped several meetings of European leaders amid disagreements with France, Germany, and the United Kingdom over Ukraine, La Repubblica reports.

According to the newspaper, Meloni declined to attend the “E5” meeting in Berlin on June 2 due to Italy’s national holiday. She was also the only major European Union leader absent from the summit in Tivat, Montenegro, on June 5.

The Italian prime minister’s office said her absence was due to an extended ceremony in Reggio Calabria marking the anniversary of the Carabinieri corps.

La Repubblica also noted that Meloni will not participate in a meeting in London involving French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to a source cited by the newspaper, Rome believes that a Russia-Ukraine peace settlement cannot be achieved without the participation of the United States.

By Jeyhun Aghazada