France summoned the Italian ambassador on August 22 after Italyʼs deputy prime minister criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for his proposal to send European soldiers to Ukraine after the war ended.
"If you want, go yourself," he told the French leader at the time.
Reuters reported this on August 23, citing a French diplomatic source.
This week, when reporters asked Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini to comment on Emmanuel Macronʼs calls for the possible deployment of European troops in Ukraine, he responded with a phrase in Milanese dialect that roughly translates to "get off your ass".
"If you want, go yourself. Put on a helmet, a bulletproof vest, take a rifle and go to Ukraine," he said, addressing the French president.
Salvini, who is the leader of the right-wing populist League party and also the transport minister in the nationalist, conservative government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has repeatedly criticized Macron, especially on issues related to Ukraine.
According to Reuters, the summoning of the Italian ambassador was another episode in a series of diplomatic disputes between Paris and Rome before and after Meloni came to power in 2022.
"The ambassador was reminded that these statements contradict the atmosphere of trust and historical relations between our countries, as well as recent bilateral steps that have shown close positions of the states, especially regarding unwavering support for Ukraine," the source said.
Security guarantees for Ukraine
At the talks in Washington involving Trump, Zelensky, and a number of European leaders on August 18, the issue of Ukrainian security guarantees was key. In particular, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the parties would begin by considering guarantees similar to those in Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
After the meeting, Trump wrote that the parties discussed what guarantees various European countries would provide under US coordination.
Zelensky reproted a package of Ukrainian proposals for the purchase of American weapons worth $90 billion — they should become part of security guarantees.
Later, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that after the war, Ukraine would have the right to conclude security agreements not only with the United States and European countries. Washington is currently working on this.
The WSJ also reported that Rubio could lead a working group that would draft security guarantees for Ukraine. The group would consist of national security advisers and NATO representatives. The security guarantees would include the following components: military presence, air defense, armaments, and monitoring of the cessation of hostilities.
Bloomberg sources also reported that nearly 10 countries are ready to send forces to Ukraine as a security guarantee as part of a future peace deal. In particular, the United Kingdom and France are ready to send hundreds of their soldiers, who will be stationed in Ukraine, but away from the front.
And Donald Trump stated on August 20 that Washington is ready to provide air support to Ukraine if a potential peace agreement with Russia is concluded.
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