Matteo Salvini, the Italian leader of the far-right La Ligue party, on the island of Lampedusa, August 4, 2022 (AFP/Archives/Filippo MONTEFORTE)
Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s far-right League party, sparked controversy on Sunday by questioning the effectiveness of European sanctions imposed on Russia to sanction the invasion of Ukraine.
“Several months have passed and people are paying their bills twice or even four times more, and after seven months the war continues and the coffers of the Russian Federation are filling up with money,” he told RTL radio before heading to The European House – Ambrosetti Economic Forum in Cernobbio, northern Italy.
“Are the sanctions working? No. To this day, those who have been sanctioned are winners, while those who have implemented the sanctions are on their knees,” he tweeted the day before.
“Obviously, someone in Europe is miscalculating: it is essential to rethink the strategy to save jobs and businesses in Italy,” he said.
Enrico Letta, leader of the Democratic Party (PD), one of his main opponents in the current campaign for the legislative elections of September 25, immediately replied in a tweet: “I think Putin could not have said it better” .
“When I hear Salvini talk about sanctions, I feel like I’m listening to Putin’s propaganda. I’m worried about a country like Italy which winks at Russia,” reacted the minister. for the South, Mara Carfagna, on the sidelines of the economic forum organized on the shores of Lake Como.
Links between Matteo Salvini and Moscow have raised concerns in Italy, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine, at the risk of hampering his party and his allies of Forza Italia and Fratelli d’Italia (post-fascist) in the campaign electoral.
Conversely, Giorgia Meloni, the head of Fratelli d’Italia, who tops the polls, has taken clear positions in favor of supporting Ukraine and sending arms to kyiv.
A debate organized by The European House – Ambrosetti was to bring together the main leaders of the parties, including Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini and Enrico Letta.
© 2022 AFP
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