Ukraine to Italy's Deputy PM: "Talk to Putin about peace"

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a sharp response to remarks by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to swiftly conclude a peace agreement, arguing that Ukraine was facing a choice “between defeat and destruction.”

As reported by Caliber.Az, the comments were addressed by Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi on his X account.

Tra i 3 e i 5 mila ucraini presero parte alla battaglia di Montecassino, uno degli scontri più cruenti della Seconda Guerra Mondiale.

Non scelsero "tra la sconfitta e la disfatta", anche se la vittoria a volte sembrava molto lontana. Combatterono fianco a fianco con gli altri… https://t.co/n5yIVceSj7

— Heorhii Tykhyi (@SpoxUkraineMFA) January 26, 2026

Earlier, on Sunday, January 25, Salvini said that Zelenskyy, “after all the money, efforts and help he has received, still has the nerve to complain,” and called on him to immediately sign a peace deal.

“Friend, you are losing the war, you are losing people, authority and dignity: sign a peace agreement as soon as possible. You must choose between defeat and destruction,” Salvini said.

In response, Tykhyi emphasised that the future of peace in Europe is being decided on the battlefield in Ukraine and recalled shared moments in Ukrainian and Italian history. He referred to the Battle of Monte Cassino during World War II, where thousands of Ukrainians fought in the liberation of Italy.

“They did not choose ‘between defeat and destruction,’ even when victory sometimes seemed very far away. They fought shoulder to shoulder with other allies because the freedom of Italy and all of Europe was at stake,” the spokesperson noted.

Tykhyi also expressed gratitude to Italy and the Italian public who, “unlike Matteo Salvini, understand that the fate of peace in Europe is being decided on the battlefield in Ukraine.”

“If the deputy prime minister is concerned about a peace agreement, we advise him to turn not to the president of Ukraine — a country defending itself from aggression — but to Putin, who started this war,” he added.

The statement pointed out that this was not Salvini’s first controversial comment regarding Ukraine. In November, he suggested that further assistance to Kyiv could “fuel corruption,” a claim that was publicly disputed by Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto.

By Tamilla Hasanova