Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stated that his government is trying to lift European Union sanctions against Russia, calling them ineffective on March 8.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 after the Kremlin invaded and seized the Ukrainian Crimea peninsula, and launched a war against Ukraine in the Donbas that continues today. The sanctions are being re-imposed every six months with the most recent extension of sanctions being confirmed on Dec. 29.
Conte took office in the summer of 2018 after an agreement was reached to form a coalition government between the populist Five Star Movement and the right-wing Lega Nord. Conte has been a lasting supporter for terminating European sanctions against Russia, citing them as “inefficient” and as a hurdle for the Italian economy.
“We are working for this objective (to lift sanctions),” Conte replied, talking about whether it is possible to terminate the sanctions against Russia, according to Reuters.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin stated in October that he will not comment on the issue beforehand citing that “Italy is consistently following the implemented sanctions, and the current (Italian) government has supported such a line during both the G7 summit (on June 8-9 in Quebec) and the EU summit.”
In an article back in May, the New York Times deemed Conte’s government as the first populist government in Western Europe.
On Oct. 24, Conte met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the meeting he said that he believes the split between the EU and Russia has lasted too long and that he would like to see the sanctions against Russia lifted.
Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and head of the Lega Nord party, stated during his latest visit to Russia in October that he feels “at home” whenever he is there. Salvini is currently involved in a scandal back at home where Italian L’Espresso magazine accused him of discussing a 3-million-euro donation from Russia to help fund the party’s European parliamentary elections campaign set for May 23-26.
