Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said today that Russian President Vladimir Putin is waging a multi-pronged “hybrid war” involving threats against the West in addition to Moscow's military attacks on Ukraine. At the same time, he added that this was something expected, reported the Italian news agency ANSA, quoted by BTA.
He reiterated that Italy would not be among the Western countries that would allow Kiev to use the provided weapons to strike targets on Russian territory.
„Putin is waging a hybrid war and trying to intimidate Europe and the West, but this is part of his game,” Tajani told the TV channel “Mediaset”. “We will not send soldiers to Ukraine and we will not allow our weapons to be used in Russia”, he added.
Yesterday, Putin again hinted at the possible use of nuclear weapons, saying: “All options are available to protect our integrity”.
Tajani also commented on Putin's words that Italy is less Russophobic than other Western countries. “We should not stick to anyone: if nothing else, others don't stick to us,” said the minister. “The EU and NATO are united in the defense of Ukraine and we agree with that without hesitation. "It's one thing to hand, but it's another to use weapons in a non-defensive way," he added.
In response to a question from ANSA during yesterday's meeting with some leading international news agencies, Putin said: “We see that Italy's position towards Russia is more restrained than that of other European countries, and we take that into account. “
„We hope that when the situation regarding Ukraine begins to stabilize, we will be able to restore relations with Italy, perhaps even faster than with some other countries,”, he continued.