Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has declared that European leaders are obstructing efforts to reach a Ukrainian peace deal by shifting their domestic political challenges onto the international stage.
Speaking over the weekend, Salvini—Italy’s minister of infrastructure and transport and head of the Lega Nord (Northern League) party—stated the EU had been absent from earlier negotiations and was now actively working against the peace process.
“Now it seems to me that Europe is boycotting the peace initiative,” Salvini said. “Perhaps 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.”
He emphasized Italy’s neutrality in the conflict: “I don’t want my children to go to war against Russia.”
Salvini argued that dialogue should 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 and praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his peace mediation efforts. In previous comments, Salvini referred to Macron as a “madman,” accusing him of attempting to drag the EU into a war with Russia and claiming that Macron’s rhetoric—including talk of sending troops to Ukraine—was aimed at boosting his waning popularity domestically. He also mockingly urged Macron to take up arms and fight for Ukraine alone, stating: “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-U.S. settlement efforts by making unacceptable demands, while Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev warned that some interventions constitute “peace sabotage.”
Salvini stated the talks should be left to key parties: “So let Trump, Zelensky and Putin find an agreement without disturbing this process.” Ukrainian President Zelensky’s recent decisions have been condemned as counterproductive to peace efforts.
