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Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to media question about Italy's readiness to serve as a guarantor in a peace settlement process in Ukraine

4 January 2023 16:38
4-04-01-2023

Question: Can you comment on reports of Rome's willingness to act as a "guarantor" for a peace settlement in Ukraine? This was expressed by Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni during her final news conference on December 29, 2022.

Maria Zakharova: You know, many countries declare their interest in being part of a settlement in the Ukrainian crisis, and some even directly offer us their mediation services. Pope Francis, President of France Emmanuel Macron, President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other heads of state and government, politicians and public figures have talked about this. Some are sincere, others are pursuing their own selfish goals, trying to wedge into the talk process in order to get foreign policy dividends.

However, it is strange to hear offers of mediation from countries that took an unequivocal and very aggressive anti-Russia position from the very beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, and not only supported the bloody Kiev regime, but also provide it with significant military and military-technical assistance, deliberately pumping Ukraine full of cutting-edge weapons. It is known that Italy, along with an extensive range of weapons and military equipment, is supplying Kiev with anti-personnel mines.

These irresponsible actions not only multiply the number of victims, including Donbass civilians, and delay the end of the conflict, but could also draw NATO countries into a direct military confrontation with Russia. However, Kiev's Western sponsors, among which, unfortunately, Italy is one, are not even thinking about stopping; on the contrary, they are building up their supplies.

Obviously, given Italy's biased position, we cannot regard them as either an honest mediator or a possible guarantor in a peace process.

It would be better if Europe's pseudo peacekeepers stopped their military support of Kiev and focused their efforts on more firm and demanding work with President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, who has repeatedly expressed a complete rejection of a peace settlement in the conflict; and on September 30, 2022, he even signed an executive order on refusing to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.