Italy must boost defense spending: Defense minister

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - Italy needs to boost its defense spending amid the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, the top Italian defense official said, according to local media on Thursday.

In a world characterized by novel political and technological developments, Italy should both increase its defensive capabilities and update the organizational model of its armed forces, Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini told the daily Repubblica.

Speaking in an interview streamed online by the Rome-based newspaper, Guerini underlined that as a member of both NATO and the EU, Italy has military obligations towards both organizations.

Referring to the ongoing Russian attack on Ukraine, he emphasized that the international community’s priority must be to put an end to the suffering of the Ukrainians.

The defense chief underlined that though countries must encourage a diplomatic political solution to the war, it was also Italy's duty to come to Ukraine's aid with arms shipments.

"The Ukrainian people are surprising us with their resilience and desire to fight in a dramatic situation. But, the Russian Armed Forces also face objective difficulties in terms of continuity of supplies," he added.

Meanwhile, Antonio Tajani, general coordinator of the right-wing Forza Italia party, argued that former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, known for his amicable ties with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, would be an ideal mediator between the West and Moscow, according to official Ansa news agency.

Tajani argued that Berlusconi has a track record of helping bring Russia closer to the West and NATO, the agency reported.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

Over 2,000 civilians have been killed in Ukrainesince Russia launched its attacks on Feb. 24, according to Ukrainian authorities.

As the war entered its eighth day on Thursday, the UN Refugee Agency said some 1 million have been forced to flee from Ukraine to neighboring countries.