'Clearly not enough': Italy's Prime Minister responds to Putin's new ceasefire proposal

Meloni emphasized the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, highlighting her support for US President Donald Trump's initiative for a ceasefire.

Italy's Prime Minister also welcomed the statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding openness to an unconditional ceasefire, stressing that now the ball is in Russia’s court.

"We now support Trump's efforts and are glad that Zelenskyy has said he is open to an unconditional ceasefire, showing that Ukraine also wants peace. Now it is Russia's turn to prove the same," Meloni said.

At the same time, Italy's Prime Minister criticized the three-day ceasefire proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin for May 9 - the anniversary of the victory in World War II - calling it "clearly insufficient."

Meloni emphasized that peace must not only be achieved but also firmly secured by a system of security guarantees.

"Peace must be just and lasting. And that means, above all, reliable security guarantees. Italy has long made its proposal: we need a solution inspired by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, even outside the framework of the NATO Treaty," Italy's Prime Minister noted.

Meloni's statement came amid discussions of new approaches to security guarantees for Ukraine that could serve as an alternative to full NATO membership.

Putin's new ceasefire

Earlier, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, "for humanitarian reasons," announced a so-called temporary truce in the war during the days of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day.

Before Easter, Putin allegedly ordered his soldiers to halt hostilities for 30 hours. This happened after he rejected a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.

Despite the fact that such a ceasefire was initiated by Russia itself, it was Russia that violated it. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the enemy violated the truce approximately 3,000 times on Easter.