Italy rebukes NATO call for more strikes on Russia

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her deputies Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani, have all criticized NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg’s rhetoric about the use of Western arms by Kiev, warning against escalating tensions with Moscow any further.

Stoltenberg claimed last week that the “time has come” for members of the US-led military to reconsider their policies and let Ukraine freely use Western weapons to launch strikes deeper into Russian territory.

“I don’t know why Stoltenberg said such a thing, I think we have to be very careful,” Meloni told Italy’s Rai 3 TV channel on Sunday. The Italian PM emphasized that “NATO must remain firm, not give the signal that it is giving in,” but again advised “greater caution.”