Italian Defense Minister calls for openness to dialogue with Russia

"Although the Russian Federation has invaded a sovereign country, and for this reason Italy and France always support and will support Ukraine, it is important (...) that channels of confrontation and dialogue are also kept open," the minister stated.

Guardian writes that this week, the French Minister of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu, held telephone talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoygu. During the conversation, the French side condemned the war unleashed by Russia.

Later, Paris refuted statements by the terrorist country that France expressed readiness to negotiate with Ukraine and discuss talks during a meeting of the defense ministers of the two countries.

The Italian Defense Minister, who spoke with his French counterpart, noted that "harsh and critical" communication is important to stop Russian attacks and "create conditions for a just peace."

Talks with Russia

Last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy adopted a decision of the National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of negotiations with dictator Vladimir Putin.

To resume negotiations, Russia must:

• completely withdraw from Ukrainian territory;
• change the political elite;
• acknowledge war crimes;
• extradite the organizers of the war to a tribunal.