{"id":137882,"date":"2025-05-30T09:05:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T07:05:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/\/2025\/05\/tajani-putin-non-ha-intenzione-di-finire-la-guerra-breve-leco-di-bergamo\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T15:24:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T13:24:38","slug":"tajani-putin-non-ha-intenzione-di-finire-la-guerra-breve-leco-di-bergamo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/interviste\/2025\/05\/tajani-putin-non-ha-intenzione-di-finire-la-guerra-breve-leco-di-bergamo\/","title":{"rendered":"Tajani: “Putin has no intention of ending the war any time soon\u201d (L’Eco di Bergamo)"},"content":{"rendered":"

“I\u2019m a pragmatist”: That\u2019s how Antonio Tajani defines himself in this interview with L’Eco di Bergamo<\/em>, summarising his perspective as a combination of his roles as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and leader of Forza Italia.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We\u2019re doing everything we can on the diplomatic front, and it\u2019s not easy. On the humanitarian side, we\u2019ve brought over 700 Palestinians from Gaza to Italy, despite unimaginable difficulties. As the Palestinian Authority\u2019s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said, very few have done as much as us. Today (yesterday for readers), I visited a boy from Gaza in Bergamo Hospital who insisted on giving me an Italian flag he had drawn as a sign of gratitude, with the words \u2018Thank you, Italy\u2019. I was moved and am deeply grateful. Our job is to keep working for peace”.<\/p>\n

But from Gaza to Ukraine, diplomacy doesn\u2019t seem to be playing the main role. <\/strong><\/p>\n

“Diplomacy does \u2013 and must \u2013 do everything possible. In Gaza, even as we speak, there is determined work to reach a ceasefire, to relieve the suffering of the Palestinians, to secure the release of Israeli hostages, and we\u2019re supporting negotiations between the United States and Iran to find a solution to the Iranian question. Regarding Ukraine, I don\u2019t think Putin wants to end the war quickly. His soldiers, a million of them, earn more than double what a factory worker does, and Russia\u2019s economy is now a war economy. It will take time to turn back, but it remains to be seen whether Putin will have the courage to do it \u2013 to become a man of peace”.<\/p>\n

On these and other issues, are we seeing a thaw with Macron?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“France is a friendly country, the Quirinal Treaty is in force between us, and I am a pragmatist. We must engage in constructive dialogue with everyone. There may be differences, but everything gets clarified in the end. As for the \u2018coalition of the willing\u2019 to act as a peacekeeping force for Ukraine? Let\u2019s talk about it when there\u2019s an end to the conflict or a ceasefire. For now, it\u2019s just rhetoric. If anything, we\u2019re thinking about a UN-patrolled buffer zone. But discussions are still ongoing”.<\/p>\n

Diplomatic solutions: do you think the Pope could give a positive push?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Pope Leo XIV, with whom I spoke for a few minutes on the day of his inauguration, is a man of great stature \u2013 highly cultured, spiritual, and humble. I was struck by his first speech after being elected and I hope everyone fully understood it. His words about peace went beyond simply stopping hostilities \u2013 they touched on the transcendence of Christian peace. It was a clear, deeply spiritual message that I\u2019m still reflecting on in my role as Minister of Foreign Affairs”.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s move to domestic issues: your relationship with Salvini?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I have an excellent personal relationship with Matteo Salvini, but we\u2019re leaders of different parties. Forza Italia\u2019s position is in the centre: Christian, liberal, reformist, pro-European. In Europe, we\u2019re with the EPP, while Meloni and Salvini have other affiliations. The centre-right alliance isn\u2019t about Europe \u2013 it\u2019s about a political programme that prioritises jobs, economic growth, tackling irregular immigration, security, tax cuts, and supporting businesses. This three-party alliance allows us to broaden the base of support. And Forza Italia can grow by appealing to former Christian Democrats and former Socialists who used to vote for the PD but don\u2019t identify with the Schlein-led leftward shift”.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, you lost in Genoa: postponed to the next regional elections?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Genoa was a tough contest, but we did well in other local elections, including in Lombardy. I\u2019m not worried about Forza Italia, though I\u2019m not happy because I want to do more. That said, what really counts are the general elections \u2013 that\u2019s where the overall picture emerges, and that\u2019s what matters most. The centre-right is governing well in Lombardy, and the real test will be in the city of Milan, where Forza Italia will be decisive for victory. I\u2019m convinced \u2013 and I repeat \u2013 that in Milan, a civic candidate can broaden the centre-right\u2019s reach by involving civic movements and parties like Calenda\u2019s”.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s turn to the economy, while waiting for Trump\u2019s tariffs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We don\u2019t know how the dispute will end, but I\u2019m optimistic we\u2019ll find an agreement. We have to negotiate with the United States, and I\u2019m determined to be positive. There\u2019s no need to panic. I also have confidence in the skills of European Commissioner \u0160ef\u010dovi\u010d, who\u2019s a friend of mine and is handling talks with Trump. We\u2019re working to boost our exports by targeting many other markets. We\u2019ve launched a government action plan that includes a chapter on India, where I was a month ago. In a few days, there will be a return visit with the Business Forum in Brescia, and there are many opportunities for us. Italy has 4 million businesses of all sizes, and our goal is to reach EUR 700 billion in exports within two and a half years \u2013 that is, by the end of this legislative term. You see, the government\u2019s stability \u2013 which is recognised by everyone abroad \u2013 is a competitive asset because it gives businesses the certainty they need to plan for the future”.<\/p>\n

In this context, why are you reforming the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“There will be a political arm and an economic arm. The Ministry\u2019s new Directorate General for Economic Growth, together with the three public companies in the sector, will focus on exports, and our businesses will be able to turn to them. Italian embassies have already been mobilised. The Italian Foreign Ministry will become increasingly focused on economic matters”.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about the conditions contained in the golden power measures exercised by the government regarding the Unicredit-Banco BPM case, which concern Russia and have seen you critical of Minister Giorgetti.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m in favour of the free market and I\u2019m not cheering for anyone in particular. The doubts of the entire Forza Italia delegation about the legal basis were recorded in the minutes of the Council of Ministers meeting. The agreement, which corrected the original text, stipulates that any withdrawal of Unicredit from Russia must take place only after at least nine full months. Our priority is to defend Italian businesses, and in Russia \u2013 in full compliance with sanctions \u2013 there are 270 of our companies operating. If Unicredit leaves, it risks bringing everything down”.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve gained some approval among entrepreneurs, but what about your relations with the unions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We have excellent relations with CISL, whose popular initiative bill on workers\u2019 participation we supported, and with the independent unions (like Confsal). We don\u2019t understand why CGIL and UIL won\u2019t sign the health sector agreement that provides a pay rise for those workers. I don\u2019t like a union that looks after the interests of union officials more than those of workers. We don\u2019t believe in a legal minimum wage, which tends to push wages downwards \u2013 we prefer the idea of a \u2018rich wage\u2019. The European position is to favour collective bargaining agreements, and in Italy about 90% of workers are covered by them. The centre-right supports tax relief on overtime and productivity bonuses \u2013 that\u2019s how wages can regain their purchasing power”.<\/p>\n

The abstention option, expressed by the centre-right, regarding the five referendums in June \u2013 four of which concern labour \u2013 is sparking debate. <\/strong><\/p>\n

“In these types of referendums, there\u2019s a quorum for participation, and consequently also a \u2018non-quorum\u2019. There\u2019s freedom of choice, and I won\u2019t be voting. In fact, this principle was also supported by President Napolitano and by Pannella, two major figures of the left and the referendum world”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“I\u2019m a pragmatist”: That\u2019s how Antonio Tajani defines himself in this interview with L’Eco di Bergamo, summarising his perspective as a combination of his roles as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and leader of Forza Italia. Let\u2019s start with the suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza. “We\u2019re doing everything we can on […]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":137576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[6,28,360],"class_list":["post-137882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviste","tag-mediterraneo-e-medio-oriente","tag-ministro","tag-ucraina"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137882","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=137882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137885,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137882\/revisions\/137885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}