'Watching from the sidelines': In Italy, outrage over Meloni's absence from leaders' meeting in Kyiv
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Getty Images)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faced a wave of criticism in Italy after skipping the leaders' summit in Kyiv. Instead of attending in person, the prime minister joined the meeting remotely, reports Euractiv.
According to Italian politicians, the trip held symbolic significance, similar to the 2022 visit when then-Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in Kyiv alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
This time, photos from the Ukrainian capital show Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte accused Meloni of passivity, saying she was "watching from the sidelines" and following others' decisions remotely.
Another former prime minister, Matteo Renzi, wrote that Italy had "lost its standing" and that "sovereigntists are bad for the country."
In response, Meloni's office stated that her absence was a deliberate political move aimed at distancing herself from a potential initiative to deploy foreign troops to Ukraine.
Rome insists that Italy's position is to support security guarantees for Ukraine without requiring NATO membership, but with stronger commitments from Western countries.
Meloni's team also believes that her decision to remain at a distance helped avoid being drawn into discussions about troop deployment.
Coalition of the Willing meeting
On May 10, the leaders of four European countries arrived in Kyiv — French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
In Kyiv, a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing took place, aimed at securing peace in Ukraine following a ceasefire and the end of the war. One of the topics discussed within the coalition was the potential deployment of European troops to Ukraine.
