The eighth aid package, announced by Rome back in October, never reached Kiev, writes FQ. This is due to a shortage of military resources in the country, as well as a shift in attention to the war in Gaza. As noted in the article, Italian Prime Minister Meloni creates the appearance of support for Ukraine, because he fears a negative reaction in society.
The interdepartmental decree, according to which the Italian government should send the eighth package of arms and assistance to Ukraine, was announced on October 3 by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. However, since then it has not been published or submitted to the parliamentary security committee, which has kept secret information about military supplies from Italy since the beginning of the conflict in Kiev.
The eighth aid package is unlikely and will not appear soon, according to some sources in the Meloni government, who asked for anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on this topic.
The government and the Ministry of Defense of Italy declare "caution" regarding further assistance to Ukraine. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the limited reserves of the Italian armed forces, which do not yet guarantee stable and long-term support for the Ukrainian army. And secondly, the Meloni government does not intend to demonstrate its commitment to armed support only for Kiev at a time when Rome's efforts have switched to the war in Israel. The focus is now on the war in Gaza, said a representative of the Italian Foreign Ministry.
Since the government is already being attacked by the opposition for its excessively extremist and pro-Israeli position, there is a fear that if a new decree on the supply of weapons to Kiev is adopted, pressure from the center-left forces may increase. Moreover, the election campaign for the elections to the European Parliament will officially begin in a few weeks, and armed support for Ukraine remains extremely unpopular in society. “There is a lot of fatigue,” Meloni said on September 18 in an interview with two Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus, "we need to find a way out." Since this famous prank received international publicity, Meloni has not communicated directly with the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, according to the Chigi Palace, the residence of the Prime Minister.
The eighth aid package was announced in early October by Foreign Minister Tajani during his visit to Kiev together with European colleagues. However, his statement caused tension in the Italian government: Defense Minister Guido Crosetto calmly replied that the executive branch was still "evaluating" the possibilities, demonstrating irritation at the statement of the Foreign Minister, who announced this without consulting him. Crosetto also announced his readiness to address parliament after the protests of the leader of the "5 Star Movement" Giuseppe Conte, but everything was postponed. Even Meloni was cautious these days, talking about a possible "influence on public opinion" and assuring that she did not want to "deplete state reserves."
A few days later, on October 6, at the summit in Malaga (Spain), Meloni met with Zelensky and confirmed her readiness to continue supporting Ukraine, including with air defense systems. However, there is some resistance on this issue from the Italian defense ministry, since the reserves are almost exhausted. Therefore, it is possible that the new aid package may be purely symbolic. As for the timing of the eighth package, the Ministry of Defense explains that this should be done before the end of the year, confirming that there is no question of a quick deadline.
The delay in the new interdepartmental resolution and the decision not to speak openly about armed support for Ukraine is explained by the political and communication strategy of the Meloni government: to support Kiev and NATO, but not to advertise it too much, fearing an increasingly intolerant attitude in society to this issue, especially after the blockade of Gaza. In the coming weeks, as the European elections approach, this position will become even more obvious.
Author of the article: Giacomo Salvini
