Italy’s Defence Minister Hesitant To Give Ukraine Air Defence Systems

When questioned whether Italy would be able to give Ukraine the air defence systems sought by President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Italian defence minister adopted a reserved demeanour.

A Wednesday item in the newspaper Il Messaggero quoted Guido Crosetto as saying that the systems would be offered “if possible.”
He continued, “If we send air defence missiles to Ukraine, we must take them from our reserves and do that without depleting them, and we must be certain of the quality.”

Crosetto told Reuters last month that Kiev has requested military aid from Rome, including the Italian-French SAMP/T air defence system.

Zelensky tweeted on Tuesday that Rome was considering offering air defences after chatting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He responded to that tweet with his comments to Il Messaggero.

He is exerting pressure on Ukraine’s Western allies to enhance military aid in order to fight three months of Russian missile and drone attacks on civilian facilities.

Under the leadership of previous Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Italy dispatched five aid shipments to Kiev, including military weapons, and the Meloni administration is getting ready to send a sixth.

Meloni, who assumed office in October, has been a steadfast defender of Kyiv despite disputes on the matter within her rightist ruling coalition and a significant pacifist element in domestic public opinion.