Italy does not have weapons or funds to purchase them for transfer to Ukraine.
This was reported by the Italian publication La Repubblica.
What assistance does Italy provide to Ukraine?
According to the report, the eighth package of military aid to Ukraine, which Italy plans to prepare for Christmas, is seriously stalled.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced the preparation of a new aid package for Ukraine yesterday in Kyiv.
The Italian Ministry of Defense has not confirmed this. Tajani later clarified that the new package would not include weapons, but uniforms and various non-lethal materials, for example, night vision helmets.
The minister emphasized that Italy’s position remains unchanged: the weapons transferred by the country cannot be used for attacks on Russia.
We are not at war with Russia, – said the head of Italian diplomacy.
According to the publication, the previous seven packages of military aid to Ukraine have significantly depleted Italy’s arsenals, and there are no funds for the purchase of new weapons amid the need to cut budget spending on health care and other social programs, which causes protests from the opposition and the population.
According to some opinion polls, notes La Repubblica, up to 70% of Italians do not support arms supplies to Ukraine.
The publication recalls that the League party, part of the ruling coalition, has long maintained a rather skeptical attitude towards military supplies, and its leader, Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, needs to find funds for an expensive bridge across the Strait of Messina, which will connect Sicily with mainland Italy.
La Repubblica concludes that the Italian authorities will try not to advertise the issue of military supplies and increasingly shift assistance to Ukraine towards participation in its reconstruction.
As part of the latest aid package to Ukraine, Italy, together with France, transferred the Samp-T air defense system.
