Italy has suspended its participation in a program to purchase American weapons for Ukraine.
Italy has decided to temporarily suspend its participation in the NATO program to purchase American weapons for Ukraine. As Bloomberg reports, the country's leadership explains this by the fact that negotiations on a ceasefire are currently underway.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that if it is possible to agree on a cessation of hostilities, the need for new arms supplies will disappear, and the focus will be on security guarantees for Kyiv.
This approach differs from the position of the European association ASD, which calls on European countries to continue increasing arms production regardless of the course of negotiations.
Bloomberg notes that Tajani's words indicate that Giorgia Meloni's government is adjusting its strategy towards Ukraine in the face of limited resources and disagreements within the government coalition.
Despite statements of support for Kyiv, Italy has become the first European country to openly say that it does not want to supply Ukraine with new weapons during ceasefire negotiations.
At the same time, back in October, Italy expressed its willingness to join the NATO PURL program, which was created after the reduction of American supplies and allows allies to purchase US weapons for Ukraine.
Ukraine, meanwhile, reports that it needs additional weapons worth 1 billion euros for the winter period. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasizes that about two-thirds of the allied countries are already participating in the program, and they should allocate at least 1 billion dollars monthly for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine.
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