Rome, 15 June 2024 – “We will never accept the narrative the West wants against others. We know that we can only address the global challenges we are facing if we are able to cooperate with respect.” What Giorgia Meloni he says at the opening of yesterday’s session open to Countries invited to the G7including the guest of honor Pope francesco, is a political manifesto, but also a reassurance. Because, apart from the controversies over civil rights, in Borgo Egnazia we talked above all about Russia and Ukraine. And, to avoid any misunderstanding, it is better to clarify that the common objective must be achieved through diplomacy.
Ukrainian President Zelensky together with US President Biden (Ansa)
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Fasano, photo of Meloni upside down at the No G7 demonstration
The pro-Kiev agreement
In the meantime, however, the summit achieved the most important result with the agreement for give Kiev 50 billion dollars of loans using as collateral profits from frozen Russian assets after the invasion of 2022. If the Pope had not arrived in Borgo Egnazia, the guest of honor would undoubtedly have been the Ukrainian leader Zelensky. Which then received the agreement in principle on the negotiating frameworks for joining the EU (like Moldova) in the evening.
Putin on the counterattack
The agreement of the Seven infuriates Moscow. For Vladimir Putin, the freezing of assets is “theft“. This step “will not lead the West to anything good”, thunders the Kremlin. The Tsar actually counterattacks with his version of peace: it will only be possible if Ukraine renounces the four pro-Russian separatist republics and joins NATO. As is his style, former president Dmitry Medvedev goes further, hoping for more than economic reprisals.
Face to face with Biden
Meloni herself has concentrated diplomatic efforts on the Ukrainian issue. With Joe Bidenmet yesterday morning, the prime minister agreed to “continue to pursue all available options to impose further costs on Russia and to those who support the Russian war machine“. Clearer than that. And in fact the US president himself was keen to “praise Meloni for Italy’s firm support for Ukraine for Italian security assistance”.
NATO’s pressure
But outside the bright rooms of Borgo Egnazia, some shadows are gathering on the commitment to safety. For NATO, it is not enough that the Big Ones have released financial aid to Kiev, also with a view to reconstruction. We need weapons, insists the general secretary Jens Stoltenberga military aid package from 40 billion a year. Considering that NATO is almost the military wing of the G7, the message is clear.
The position of Italy
A clear message, however, corresponds to a very clear answer. The Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, does not beat around the bush: “Italy does not agree on a commitment of 40 billion, which would have been 3.5 billion a year for us, given that we already have difficulty reaching the 2% of GDP to be allocated to defense spending. When we reach 2% we will discuss further investments.” And, just to clarify, Crosetto told the partners of the Atlantic Alliance that they should also deal with the Southern front and not just the East.
The stone guests
Looking even further east, the final declaration of the summit reminds us, however, that the effort to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine is extremely complex. Complexity determined by those who act against the West, how China and Iran. “We will continue to take measures against actors in China and third countries who materially support the Russian war machine.” Tehran must “stop the nuclear escalation” and the West makes it known that it is “ready to respond in a rapid and coordinated way, including with new and significant measures”.
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Efforts for peace. The first Pope at the summit of the greats: “The machine must not kill man”
