ROME (ITALPRESS) – “The situation regarding peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine is still very fluid. Europe must not panic, chasing this or that statement, but must remain united and act with coolness and determination.” This was argued in an interview with La Stampa by Forza Italia secretary, deputy prime minister and foreign minister Antonio Tajani, who said that “Europe has the right to sit at the negotiating table” and must make the case that it has imposed significant economic sanctions against Russia. That is why any agreement “will have to provide for our involvement. “In Munich,” he says, “I had two confrontations with Marco Rubio and two with Russia-Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg, and this kind of message was never conveyed to us. With the U.S. Secretary of State I raised the issue of the sanctions that the European Union has adopted in recent months against Russia: it is clear that this represents a fundamental lever for us to be able to reclaim a role. And Rubio himself yesterday publicly acknowledged the need to engage us and Ukraine. Europe must be strong, united and credible, convinced of its indispensability at the negotiating table. We must demand to be there.” “Negotiations,” Tajani stressed, “will not be closed in a few days, it will be a matter of months: today we are still at the level of preliminary actions. Besides: are we sure that the Americans are not consulting Europe, that they will not take into account the messages we are passing? In Munich what did we European ministers do? The message is clear: one way or another Ukraine and Europe must be in. I repeat: we must not get too agitated because we would give a signal of weakness. Calm is the virtue of the strong.” “The French president,” the foreign minister adds, “has convened a meeting among key European leaders that will serve precisely to discuss our common position. For example, we cannot fail to give answers on the issue of European Defense, which for us Italians is a fundamental issue, as we have been arguing since the time of De Gasperi and as we have always argued with Silvio Berlusconi as well. “We are,” Tajani explains, “for increasing defense spending and I am pleased that the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has taken on board our requests by opening up the possibility of unbundling them from the Stability Pact. A change of pace that is already to be regarded as our diplomatic success. We are determined to reach 2 percent first and foremost, but to do so we cannot cut social spending, we will not cut spending on hospitals or schools, so the loosening of EU constraints was essential.” “We,” he reiterates, “have never hidden behind any excuse. We are the country that, after the United States, has the largest number of men and means committed to NATO missions. Our militaries are all over the world, this is a commitment that counts and that we will enforce. “Spending more on Defense,” he adds, “does not mean being warmongers, but engaging more for example in peacekeeping missions. And the strengthening of European Defense is essential to strengthen our presence within NATO.” “The carve-out from the deficit,” Minister Tajani stressed, “is first and foremost to enable states to achieve the goals set by NATO. After that I am a pro-European and I support the need to introduce Eurobonds for Defense, but we have to see if the other countries will also want it… I hope so, as I have always been in the front row on this, as a commissioner and also as president of the European Parliament. In May 2023, in his last public speech before he left us, Berlusconi invited us to fight for a European army.” Asked if Europe is willing to take on security guarantees for Kiev to be secured with a military presence, he replied, “The guarantees must come from a front of countries wider than Europe. Even the United States, let’s see in what way, has to be involved. A possible military peacekeeping mission can only be international, perhaps in a United Nations framework, thus involving the Security Council. In this context, we as Italy and as Europe are obviously willing to do our part, as we would be ready to do in the Middle East.” And on the request of several leaders to appoint an EU envoy for Ukraine, he comments, “Meanwhile, the EU has to decide what it wants to do, after which the Council will define how to do it, with which figures. By the way, it is very important that every step is taken in consultation with the UK.” “Transatlantic collaboration,” Tajani recalls, “has been going on for years. There have always been and will be moments of friction, but the attitude must be constructive. I understand from the meetings with Rubio that they want to talk to us and they have no intention of excluding us.” “We as Forza Italia,” he explains, “have invited our members in Germany to support Cdu/Csu. Vance does Vance and I do Tajani. With the new Trump administration there is an open confrontation and we have to be strong, without giving signals of panic. Well knowing that alone we cannot protect Ukraine, but we need decisive action from the Americans.” And on the clash over tariffs, “we need to negotiate. As the governor of the Bank of Italy, Fabio Panetta, also said, a trade war would hurt everyone and push inflation in the United States, a scenario that the Americans themselves want to avert. We need to work on a strategy, for example by providing for more investment in the United States and increasing the purchase of products from the US. And remain cohesive as Europe because united we are stronger.”- photo Ipa agency -(ITALPRESS).
