U.S.-Russia diesel deal is ‘very risky choice,’ Italy’s Meloni says
The deal between the United States and Russia over diesel supplies is a “very risky choice” that runs counter to efforts to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiating with Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday.
The United States and Russia agreed last week that Moscow would initially supply more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel to U.S. and global markets.
“The outcome of this decision is uncertain, while the risks are clear,” Meloni told the Italian parliament ahead of a European Union summit this week.
“It provides Moscow with legitimacy as its bombs continue to fall on Ukrainian cities, generates new revenue to finance the war, and implicitly weakens the effectiveness of sanctions,” she added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also criticised the agreement, describing it as “an investment in a war that must be ended”.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the deal would lower energy prices in the United States, where rising costs have become a major political concern for his Republican Party ahead of crucial midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
Meloni told parliament that the 27 EU member states should appoint “an authoritative figure” to negotiate on Europe’s behalf in the Russia-Ukraine war. She did not rule out giving an official mandate to the E3 Group, comprising Germany, France and Great Britain.
“If France, Germany, and Great Britain believe they can do better on their own than we could all do together, and so far that is the choice they have made, then at least let them do so on behalf of everyone and with an official mandate,” Meloni said.
She also said the EU summit would discuss what she described as an escalation in Russian hybrid attacks, including drone incursions, cyberattacks, sabotage and other covert operations aimed at weakening support for Kyiv.
“We need to protect our critical infrastructure: energy grids, undersea cables, ports, airports, and the underwater domain, where Italy possesses outstanding expertise,” she said.
Credit: Reuters
