On Friday, after the commemoration for the victims of terrorism and before the Cabinet meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani, had lunch at Palazzo Chigi with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni—who spoke on the phone with Erdogan about peace in Ukraine yesterday—and League colleague Matteo Salvini. It was a meeting on the eve of Saturday’s summit in Kyiv, where Meloni set the tone, explaining that she would not attend the “willing” summit because she did not agree with the format (“ask her why she didn’t go,” Tajani added), and imposed “unity” on her allies regarding foreign policy—especially concerning the situation in Ukraine and the crisis in Gaza—without any premature actions. It’s no coincidence that Salvini has decided not to comment further on the two international crises. Regional elections, on the other hand, will be discussed later, after the municipal elections.
The two war fronts are the government’s main concerns, as explained by Minister of Foreign Affairs Tajani during lunch, after meeting with Forza Italia department heads at the party headquarters in San Lorenzo in Lucina and with the Tuscan coordinator Marco Stella and the mayor of Pontremoli, Jacopo Ferri, ahead of the regional elections in the autumn. On the eve of tomorrow’s talks in Istanbul, Tajani seems doubtful about Russia’s willingness to negotiate: “Yesterday (Monday), I met with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Kuleba, and we discussed the reconstruction conference we’ll hold in July,” Tajani says to Il Fatto. “We obviously hope that Russia truly wants peace, but I have to be honest: I trust little in Putin and his willingness to negotiate”. This is also Meloni’s position, as she has repeatedly urged the Russian president to sit at the negotiation table proposed by Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
BUT THE FRONT that concerns Tajani the most is Gaza, on which he will report to Parliament by the end of May. For nearly two months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blocked any food aid to the civilian population of Gaza, also halting the Italian-led “Food for Gaza” initiative. “I also spoke this morning with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who wants American aid,” Tajani adds. “Then I spoke with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, and he does not want American aid: the situation is not simple, but we are pushing diplomatically. We need to get aid into Gaza as soon as possible”.
But why isn’t the government directly condemning Netanyahu’s Gaza occupation plan with clear words? After all, even Trump is now distancing himself from the Israeli Prime Minister: “On Gaza, we stand with Pope Leo XIV, who, in his first Angelus on Sunday, called for a ceasefire,” says Tajani. “And when we say we support Egypt’s peace plan, it seems our position is quite clear”. Not a direct condemnation, but a growing scepticism at the highest levels of the government.
THERE WILL BE no new majority summits this week with Meloni and Salvini: “Tomorrow (today), I’m going to Antalya, Turkey, where the NATO Foreign Ministers’ summit is taking place,” says Tajani, who will return to Italy for the enthronement of Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s. Zelensky will likely be there, but Tajani is sceptical about whether Trump will also attend. On Sunday, Salvini, along with the leader of the Front National, Marine Le Pen, appeared at St. Peter’s. What does the Minister of Foreign Affairs think of that? “We will oppose any attempt to break up the European Union, as Ms. Le Pen wants to do,” Tajani adds, criticising Salvini’s main European ally.
This message was reiterated yesterday in his speech at the De Gasperi Foundation: “It is reckless to try to divide the European Union. I would never be part of an anti-EU government,” Tajani said.
Regarding the MES (European Stability Mechanism), which has resurfaced following the European States’ request to ratify it at Monday’s Ecofin meeting, Tajani reiterates that “even Forza Italia has its reservations; we are ready to vote for it only with a form of democratic oversight, meaning it must at least be accountable to Parliament”.
