Tension over the arms decree for Ukraine, Giorgetti has not yet signed. Open front for the League

«The package on sending weapons to Kiev, which being a classified document must be signed in person, has already been signed by Crosetto and me, and has been stamped by the Mef. Minister Giorgetti, in favor of the measure, was in Brussels yesterday and could not sign in person. As soon as he arrives in Rome he will sign it." The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, who spoke this morning on Radio I Too throws water on the fire after the news that the third competent minister, Giancarlo Giorgetti, is still missing on the 13th package of military and civil aid to Kiev and on the related inter-ministerial decree which will be illustrated this afternoon at Copasir by Crosetto. And he adds: «There is no mystery and no storm. Italy will continue to support Ukraine hoping that peace will be achieved soon."

Reassurances also come from the head of the Defense Guido Crosetto who in an interview with Repubblica assures: «The Minister of Economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti, yesterday in the Council of Ministers did not sign the decree for the new aid package for Ukraine «only because he wasn't there» (he was on a mission in Brussels).

Salvini's halt

The Northern League leader Matteo Salvini, after his confirmation as leader of the party, clearly said that he wanted to align the party to stop money and weapons in Kiev. However, there seemed to be an agreement on the thirteenth aid package. The Northern League seemed intent on fighting later, next month, when the new "framework" decree for shipments in 2027 should be discussed. Instead, Tajani's evening preview of Bruno Vespa's Five Minutes («With ministers Giorgetti and Crosetto I signed the decision to supply the thirteenth package of military instruments to Kiev) annoyed the Northern League. And the phrase leaked ("No one, not even Giorgetti, knows what is written") made it clear that Salvini wants to know the details of the military aid before giving the green light.

The relief package is coming

There is therefore a risk of opening up a delicate game in the majority on this issue which could lead to a clash with implications yet to be deciphered. In the list of the measure (classified like all the previous ones) there will not only be aid for Ukrainian civilians, such as generators, but probably also weapons for anti-aircraft 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.

The commitment to continue aid

Not only that. Crosetto was already clear a few days ago in the Senate that he will propose "the possibility of extending the mechanism of the decree" also for next year as has been the case since 2022, since four law decrees were approved to militarily support Kiev: launched in the Council of Ministers, those framework measures were converted into law by the Chambers, allowing the sending of twelve military aid packages with as many inter-ministerial measures in four years, for which instead it is only necessary to explain them to the Parliamentary Committee for the security of the Republic, as will happen today.