Italy’s Meloni backs EU defence boost but says security ‘unimaginable’ without US

Meloni was updating parliament ahead of an EU summit where leaders will discuss support for Ukraine and plans to ramp up defence due to faltering US support for Kyiv under President Donald Trump.

Meloni said that building a “solid European pillar of NATO” was an “urgent” move, but added that now was not the time to divide the West.

“It is unimaginable to build effective and lasting security guarantees by dividing Europe and the United States,” she told the Senate.

“It is right that Europe equips itself to do its part, but it is at best naive, at worst crazy to think that today it can be done alone without NATO.”

Meloni’s hard-right government has strongly backed Kyiv in its war with Russia, despite her coalition partners’ history of warm ties with Moscow.

She said on Tuesday Italy’s support for Ukraine had “never been in question”.

But MEPs from her Brothers of Italy party last week failed to back a motion in the European Parliament supporting Kyiv because it unfavourably referenced Trump’s approach.

Security guarantees 

The White House briefly cut off US aid and intelligence to Ukraine before restoring it after Kyiv backed a US proposal for a 30-day general ceasefire.

Meloni said on Tuesday that the US ceasefire plan was a “significant step” towards a lasting peace, but also stressed the need for “security guarantees” for Ukraine.

She noted that guarantees could be similar to those enjoyed by NATO members, where an attack against one member is de facto regarded as an attack against others, but added that any support given would not necessarily involve the use of force.

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Meloni was the only EU leader to attend Trump’s inauguration in January and has sought to avoid any criticism of the American president – even as his threatened tariffs risk hitting Italian exports hard.

She has joined European allies in discussions on how to respond to Trump’s foreign policy shift, though she has sometimes appeared reluctant.

Meloni has made it clear that Italy will not send troops to defend any potential truce in Ukraine, reiterating on Tuesday that this would be “risky and not very effective”.

The Brothers of Italy leader has also also brushed off French President Emmanuel Macron’s idea of extending its nuclear umbrella to other European nations.

Divisions

Meloni is battling divisions in her own party and among the wider Italian public.

An Ipsos survey for the Corriere della Sera newspaper last week showed that 39 percent of respondents were against Europe’s rearmament plan, with only 28 percent in favour.

The survey also showed a decline in support for Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

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The charge against Europe’s 800-billion ‘rearm’ plan is being led by Deputy PM and League leader Matteo Salvini, who has in the past expressed his admiration for Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

He tweeted on Tuesday: “Using Italian money to pay for German tanks? No thanks.”

Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, a member of the League, has also warned against the risk of further swelling Italy’s public debt.

Italy currently spends about 1.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence – below the NATO commitment of two percent and well below Trump’s demand of five percent.

‘Tightrope’

Meloni did not go into detail about Italy’s future plans, but noted that “strengthening our defensive capabilities doesn’t just mean buying weapons”.

Italy can produce more of its own armaments, she said, adding that security plans could also involve the fight against terrorism and increased cybersecurity.

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Lorenzo Castellani, political expert at Rome’s Luiss University, said that Meloni was walking a “tightrope”.

“It will be difficult for her to increase military spending by what she promised” – a reported 2.5 percent of GDP – due to political opposition and national debt, he told AFP.

At the same time however, “I do not expect her to break with Trump,” he said.

Castellani added that he expected the premier to keep working with European allies while trying to “slow down the proposals of the countries most willing to support Kyiv”.

By AFP’s Alice Ritchie