Melons, sparks with France. With Zelensky interview on jets – Corriere.it

A difficult day for the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Started with the irritation and bitter exchange with France, for the “anticipatory” summit between Volodymyr Zelensky, Emanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, and without Italy, the day before yesterday in Paris, which “undermines European unity and unity”. A reset of the long mending work which he followed the fight against migrants, which restores strength to the polemics of the oppositions on an “isolated” Italy on the international scene. But also a day ended with the “very cordial” – reports Palazzo Chigi – conversation between the Ukrainian leader and the Italian premier, yesterday in Brussels, who met for the first time.

The face to face

A pretty quick conversation: the two are portrayed standing, on the sidelines of the meeting of the Ukrainian president with the heads of state and government of the European Union, who had been regrouped (Italy was with Sweden, Holland, Poland, Romania and Spain) after the delay accumulated by the work of the European Council blew the bilaterals off the agenda. At the summit, when the Ukrainian leader arrives, Meloni’s chair, like that of theDutch Ruttein the images posted on Twitter by the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez, are empty. Something that triggers doubts in the insiders, but it is then filtered by a European diplomatic source that the two were a few minutes late.

In any case, although the Meloni-Zelensky bilateral meeting has become a conversation of only ten minutes and less formal than expected, it would have «further strengthened the relationship between Rome and Kiev», assured by the premier’s entourage. «The president confirmed Italy’s support for Ukraine against Russian aggression and President Zelensky demonstrated gratitude for Rome’s commitment». Among the topics also the request for fighters, after the English opening.

«Macron inopportune»

The frost between Meloni and Macron, however, which at the time of Zelensky’s photo with the 27 had just touched, has the flavor of an all-political clash that risks not returning easily. «Zelensky’s invitation to Paris seems inappropriate to me – the premier sinks the blow upon her arrival in Brussels – our strength in this affair is unity and compactness. I understand that between strikes and pensions, Macron has to think about his own public opinion. But there are times when doing so risks going to the detriment of the cause: this seems to me to be one of those cases”. Macron’s reply was no less sharp: «I wanted to receive President Zelensky with Chancellor Scholz because Germany and France have had a particular role over Ukraine for eight years. I think it was in our role.” It’s the same Zelensky defends that pre-summit calling it “powerful and important”.

Opposition to attack

The international controversy is immediately reflected on the Italian scene. The oppositions attack the Prime Minister. “Italy is placed on the margins of Europe,” he argues Lia Quartapelle of the Pd. “Meloni is out of the tables that count, the free ride is over for her”, is the sarcastic comment of Joseph Conte, leader of the M5S. For Carlo Calenda of Azione “Meloni is wrong to fuel a controversy that, yes, divides Europe”. Angelo Bonelli of Green Europe: «By attacking, he gets slapped». The allies, on the other hand, form a square. The foreign minister Antonio Tajani rejects the hypothesis of the country’s isolation: «We are the protagonists in the struggle for the independence of Ukraine». And the Northern League Deputy Prime Minister Matthew Salvini he aligns with Meloni’s position: «I’m sorry for France and Germany, but without Italy in Europe we go nowhere. I trust that they understand it, because excluding does not help anyone, it is not useful and it is not intelligent ». He does not comment on Macron and the initiative he defines as inappropriate by the premier, but focuses on relations with Germany: “We have a lot to do together”. The minister takes care of it Robert Calderoli to take the French president head-on: «A rooster at all costs».