France summoned Italy’s ambassador following “unacceptable” comments by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who lambasted President Emmanuel Macron for supporting Ukraine, diplomatic sources told AFP on Friday.
Ambassador Emanuela D’Alessandro was summoned Thursday after Salvini, whose Lega Party is a junior partner in the Italian government, urged Macron, who supports sending European troops to Ukraine as a part of a security force, to “hook yourself up to the tram.” The expression, which Salvini said in Milanese dialect, is a disparaging way of saying “do it on your own, don’t involve me.”
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Salvini added: “Get your helmet, your flak jacket, your rifle, and go to Ukraine.”
“The ambassador was reminded that these remarks went against the climate of trust and the historical relationship between our two countries, but also against recent bilateral developments, which have highlighted strong convergences between the two countries, particularly with regard to unwavering support for Ukraine,” the source told AFP.
This is by no means the first time Salvini, whose anti-migrant center-right Lega Party has been languishing in polls, has attacked Macron.
In response to Macron’s attempt to raise a European army, Salvini called the French president “a madman… who talks about nuclear war.” On other occasions Salvini publicly called Macron a “warmonger” and a “bombardier.”
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Such terms were used again last Thursday, when he made a statement about rejecting the presence of Italian troops in Ukraine.
The public denigration began last June when Salvini said to Macron: “Put on your helmet, go fight, and stop breaking our balls.”
France and Britain have been leading the “coalition of the willing” nations giving military support to Ukraine. They have also been discussing the possible deployment of troops as a security force positioned well behind the front lines if a ceasefire is reached between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Russia would not accept any NATO troops in Ukraine.
Over the years, Salvini has been notoriously supportive of Putin and Russia’s political agenda in Ukraine, even posing with a Putin T-shirt in front of the Kremlin in 2014.
Matteo Salvini in front of the Kremlin with a Putin T-shirt that says: “Army of Russia.” Photo taken from Salvini’s Facebook (Cavicchi)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has rebuffed invitations to join, preferring instead to advocate for NATO Article 5-like guarantees for Ukraine, or even outright membership in the alliance.
Meloni’s coalition includes Salvini’s Lega Party. Although staunchly pro-Ukraine, the prime minister has had to walk a fine line and at times muzzle her junior partner, who has never publicly advocated for helping Ukraine.