Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged Europe to reopen talks with Russia but said it would be premature to readmit Moscow to the G7/G8. She backed Emmanuel Macron’s push for engagement and urged the EU to appoint a single envoy to avoid mixed messages. Meloni also reiterated that Italy will not send troops to Ukraine and noted that negotiations have accelerated since November, though Moscow has shown no public concessions.
Meloni Urges Europe To Reopen Talks With Russia — Says G8 Return Is Premature
Leader of Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni attends meeting with Brothers of Italy newly elected MPs in Rome, Italy, October 10, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
ROME, Jan 9 — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday urged European nations to reopen diplomatic channels with Russia while warning that it is far too early to consider readmitting Moscow to the Group of Eight leading economies.
Speaking at her traditional New Year press conference, Meloni said she sided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent call for European engagement with Moscow as international efforts to end the war in Ukraine continue.
"I think Macron is right on this. I believe the time has come for Europe to also speak with Russia," she said. "If Europe chooses to participate in this phase of negotiations by speaking to only one of the two sides, I fear that the positive contribution it can make will ultimately be limited."
Negotiations to end the almost four-year conflict have picked up pace since November. Yet Moscow has not publicly shown a willingness to make concessions after Kyiv proposed changes to a U.S. plan that initially reflected some of Russia’s key demands. Russia has also given no sign it would accept the security guarantees envisaged by Ukraine’s allies — including the controversial idea of Western troops on Ukrainian soil.
To avoid mixed messaging, Meloni called on the European Union to appoint a single, dedicated envoy to engage directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "If we reopen dialogue but proceed in a disorganised way, we would be doing Putin a favour," she warned, arguing that too many competing voices and formats have weakened Europe’s coherence.
One U.S. proposal in November floated readmitting Russia to the Group of Seven wealthy democracies — effectively reviving the now-defunct G8. Meloni described any discussion of Russia’s return to the G7 as "absolutely premature."
She also reiterated that Italy has no intention of deploying troops to Ukraine to help guarantee any prospective peace agreement. Last month France and Britain signed a declaration of intent outlining how multinational forces might be deployed into Ukraine should a ceasefire be reached.
(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni and Alvise Armellini; editing by Giulia Segreti and Crispian Balmer)
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