{"id":136325,"date":"2025-05-12T08:57:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T06:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/\/2025\/05\/tajani-a-kiev-litalia-cera-stiamo-gia-lavorando-per-la-ricostruzione-del-paese-corriere-della-sera\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T14:39:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T12:39:38","slug":"tajani-a-kiev-litalia-cera-stiamo-gia-lavorando-per-la-ricostruzione-del-paese-corriere-della-sera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/interviste\/2025\/05\/tajani-a-kiev-litalia-cera-stiamo-gia-lavorando-per-la-ricostruzione-del-paese-corriere-della-sera\/","title":{"rendered":"Tajani: \u2018Italy was present in Kyiv. We are already working on the country\u2019s reconstruction\u2019 (Corriere della Sera)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minister of Foreign Affairs: \u2018Today, a new five-way European summit\u2019<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Zelensky is reportedly ready to meet Putin on Thursday in Turkey. Does the Tsar truly want peace, Minister Antonio Tajani?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat both Putin and Zelensky are prepared to meet is a decisive step forward, and we must encourage it in every possible way. But negotiations must happen within the context of a ceasefire \u2013 not one that lasts merely three days. We need a real truce. If confirmed, this would be the first step towards negotiations and towards the goal we\u2019ve been pursuing for months: a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and for Europe. I would also add that, in these past hours, I see signs of a preliminary agreement between the US and China regarding tariffs. Trump appears to be adopting a negotiating stance that seems to be yielding its first results\u201d.<\/p>\n

Do you not think the Prime Minister should have been in Kyiv in person? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGiorgia Meloni joined via video conference, so she was indeed present. What matters is being present in substance. Italy \u2013 the government, and the Prime Minister personally \u2013 is involved in every aspect of the negotiation process\u201d.<\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t the opposition have a point when it accuses you of \u2018damaging Italy\u2019 and portrays the country as isolated and sidelined in Europe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. We are organising the major international conference on Ukraine\u2019s reconstruction, set to take place in Rome on 10\u201311 July. Tomorrow (today, editor\u2019s note), I will be in Verona for the third and final preparatory stage of the event, with 450 representatives from SMEs and local authorities\u201d.<\/p>\n

The leaders of France, Germany, the UK, and Poland physically showed their support to Zelensky and held a video summit with Trump. Isn\u2019t that substantive? And are those wrong who say symbolic photos don\u2019t matter?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe opposition accuses us of both talking too much to Trump and not talking enough. Italy is once again a leading player in foreign policy \u2013 our credibility in Europe and internationally is strong. Forza Italia\u2019s result at the EPP Congress is emblematic of the government\u2019s standing. And we also played a role in mediating the resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan\u201d.<\/p>\n

Back to Kyiv \u2013 you often say that beyond Meloni\u2019s special relationship with Trump, Italy must remain firmly anchored in the EU. Do you stand by that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely. Italy was present in Kyiv, and Italy is present in Europe\u201d.<\/p>\n

In June 2022, that historic train to Kyiv carried Draghi, Macron, and Scholz. On Saturday, in Meloni\u2019s place, it was Starmer. Is it wise to let Poland take the lead in the EU\u2019s front carriage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPoland is a great country \u2013 and so is Italy.\u00a0 Proof of that is the meeting tomorrow morning (today, editor\u2019s note) in London with EU foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK. The Weimar Group will discuss crisis scenarios and assess efforts for a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv\u201d.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an important meeting, but not a summit of leaders\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s prime ministers or ministers doesn\u2019t matter \u2013 what counts is that we are contributing. Italy\u2019s support to Ukraine amounts to around \u20ac2.5 billion, excluding military aid and EU contributions\u201d.<\/p>\n

Are you counting on an alliance with German Chancellor Merz to counter President Macron\u2019s initiative? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cItaly doesn\u2019t play with \u2018axes\u2019; it is already an integral part of the EU\u2019s leading group of countries. We are Europe\u2019s second-largest manufacturer and the fifth-largest trading power in the world. Actions matter. Italy has the most stable government in Europe and will see out the full parliamentary term. We have excellent relations with the CDU-CSU and with Merz\u201d.<\/p>\n

Has the strategy of the \u2018willing\u2019 failed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe stand firmly with Ukraine, but we do not believe that sending NATO troops to the Russian border is the best way to ensure post-war security. We believe it is better to have a buffer zone with a UN presence\u201d.<\/p>\n

The government has been silent about the Israeli massacre in Gaza.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is the silence? If I speak \u2013 as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs \u2013 then the government speaks. And didn\u2019t the Prime Minister herself also speak on the matter? Didn\u2019t she say we support the Arab nations\u2019 proposal for Gaza\u2019s reconstruction? That clearly signals our concern for the Palestinian civilian population. We are the only European government to have implemented a food and health aid programme \u2013 \u2018Food for Gaza\u2019. We want a ceasefire, we want the hostages released, and we stand by the unequivocal position of Pope Leo XIV\u201d.<\/p>\n

Your foreign policy seems divided. In Strasbourg, regarding the vote to condemn Israel, FdI and the League were on one side, and Forza Italia on the other. No embarrassment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe belong to three different political families and sometimes vote differently in Europe. We are not a single party. Forza Italia is strongly pro-European \u2013 we are proudly part of the EPP\u201d. Marina Berlusconi criticised Trump\u2019s decisions, and Minister Daniela Santanch\u00e8 spoke of \u2018an unwarranted intervention\u2019. What is your view?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMarina Berlusconi expressed concerns shared by entrepreneurs globally about the trade war and tariffs, which, if continued, could cause huge damage to the economy \u2013 including the American one. In essence, she said what Silvio Berlusconi used to tell me \u2013 that he was different from Donald Trump. Just as Daniela Santanch\u00e8 is free to express her views, so is Marina. And I thank her for her kind words about me and Forza Italia. Idle talk and lies don\u2019t go far\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Minister of Foreign Affairs: \u2018Today, a new five-way European summit\u2019 Zelensky is reportedly ready to meet Putin on Thursday in Turkey. Does the Tsar truly want peace, Minister Antonio Tajani? \u201cThat both Putin and Zelensky are prepared to meet is a decisive step forward, and we must encourage it in every possible way. But […]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":136231,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[28,360],"class_list":["post-136325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviste","tag-ministro","tag-ucraina"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136326,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136325\/revisions\/136326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}