Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday called Putin’s speech propaganda. Meloni made this statement in Ukraine, in Irpin, where earlier, after the withdrawal of Russian troops, mass graves were discovered.“Deep down, I was partly hoping for other words, a step forward. But it was propaganda,” Meloni said.
Recall that, addressing Russia’s political and military elite on Tuesday, Putin said that Moscow would achieve its military goals in Ukraine, and accused the West of trying to destroy Russia.Meloni visited Irpen and Bucha before the start of negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy . In Bucha, Meloni cried when shown an exhibit in a church with photographs of civilians in Bucha killed during the Russian occupation. Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk presented Meloni with a commemorative coin made from shell casings found in Bucha.
Georgia Meloni at Irpen. February 21, 2023
This is the first visit of a new Italian Prime Minister to Ukraine since taking office in October 2022 at the head of a right-wing coalition.Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a longtime Putin ally, said earlier this month he did not want to meet Zelenskyyy and blamed him for starting the current war, sparking an outcry in Kiev.Georgia Meloni reaffirmed her commitment to support Ukraine and provide it with military equipment.Italy and France this spring completed negotiations on the supply of advanced air defense systems to Kiev.
