The League's anger over the weapons decree, Giorgetti does not sign it

There is mystery in the government on the thirteenth aid package for Ukraine which will be presented in the next few hours to Copasir by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. The Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti has not yet signed the new measure, as is required by the procedures. And if in the majority there are those who try to minimize it - "no mystery", simply the package is "classified" and must be signed on sight, but Giorgetti was not in Rome - great irritation filters from the League, ready to let off steam right at the Copasir.

In fact, Giorgetti was busy in Brussels on Monday, for Ecofin. But Antonio Tajani, who must sign the package with the head of the Economy, announces in the evening that everything has been signed by everyone. The straw that broke the camel's back on via Bellerio: because Matteo Salvini had made his doubts about military aid to Kiev clear on several occasions. A line that became more stringent after the congress, from which he also asked for "respect" from the allies. "After four years of war" between Russia and Ukraine we need to change pace, find the way to a just peace: essentially, no more weapons and opening other channels, is the position that the League is pursuing, currently alone in the majority, and on which it is awaiting responses from its allies and from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has always remained firm (together with FI), on the need to continue supporting Kiev "for as long as necessary". A delicate issue therefore opens up in the majority on this issue which could lead to a clash - starting from the transition to Copasir - with implications yet to be deciphered.

Because without Giorgetti's signature the decree cannot be published and the aid, not only the military one but also the civil one, will not be able to go. But there are those who are convinced that in the end the minister will sign, also because otherwise the experience of the centre-right government would come dangerously close to the end of the line. A scenario, the latter, which most define as "surreal", also because we are in the middle of the budget session and a crisis at this moment would risk overwhelming the budget too. Furthermore, the legislative decree that acts as a "framework" for this mechanism is also expiring at the end of the year, which then provides for the ministerial decree with the concert of Defense, Farnesina and Mef. A scheme, Crosetto had recalled, not introduced by the Meloni government but chosen and voted for by the Draghi government and "practically all the parties of the current minority and majority". Four renewals from 2022, with only a few small adjustments. For the next package, classified like all the others, in addition to the generators, it is possible to send components useful for air defense - this is the main request coming from Ukraine, under continuous Russian bombing - given that the Italian-French Samp-T battery has already been supplied in the past. There could therefore be a dispatch of Aster missiles that arm the system.

Last week Crosetto also specified that over time the threats have become limited and Kiev is asking for "things that are not available. The intensity of the packages has therefore been reduced precisely because, as time passed and aid was sent, the things that were really needed were no longer there and were difficult to send". But the commitment remains firm: "We will respect the pacts we have made with our European NATO allies, with the Ukrainian group and with Ukraine", the minister added, explaining that this package was prepared because the situation on the ground in Ukraine has changed profoundly, which until recently managed to stop 90% of attacks while now it stops 10%, because Russian technology has evolved exponentially while the speed of the new Shaed drones makes it difficult, often impossible, stop them. So Ukraine's request has also changed.