Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of actively undermining peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Salvini, who is also Italy’s minister of infrastructure and transport and leads the Lega Nord (Northern League) party, stated that Europe was obstructing negotiations because leaders facing domestic political challenges were exporting their problems internationally.
“Now it seems to me that Europe is boycotting the peace process because [French President Emmanuel] Macron, [UK Prime Minister Keir] Starmer, and other leaders are struggling at home and therefore need to export their problems abroad,” Salvini said.
He emphasized Italy’s non-involvement in the conflict, adding: “I don’t want my children to go to war against Russia.”
Salvini argued that dialogue must take priority when dealing with a nuclear-armed power, noting that “when there is a power that has 6,000 nuclear warheads,” then the “dialogue” advocated by Pope Leo is the only viable path.
Salvini has repeatedly criticized European leaders, particularly Macron, for what he describes as a hawkish approach to the Ukraine conflict. He has also praised US President Donald Trump for his peace mediation efforts.
In previous comments, Salvini called Macron a “madman,” accusing him of trying to drag the EU into a war with Russia and arguing that his rhetoric was aimed at boosting Macron’s waning popularity at home. He mockingly urged Macron to take up arms and go fight for Ukraine alone, stating that “not even one Frenchman would follow him.”
Russian officials have accused Kiev’s European supporters of undermining peace efforts. Presidential aide Yury Ushakov has said EU leaders are complicating Russia-US negotiations by making unacceptable demands, while Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev warned that some interventions amounted to “peace sabotage.”
Salvini concluded that the talks should be left to the key parties: “So let Trump, Zelensky and Putin find an agreement without disturbing this process.”