Italy Renews Call for Sanctions Against Russia

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for new sanctions against Russia on Thursday, with the aim of forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate with Ukraine and its allies.

According to Reuters, Tajani told the Italian Senate that it was essential to intensify pressure on Putin to bring him to the negotiating table. 

“We must do this by using all the tools at our disposal to hinder the financing of his war machine. This includes new sanctions.”

Italy, along with several other so-called “Coalition of the Willing” countries, is currently involved in negotiating the 19th round of EU sanctions against Russia. 

Although Italy is among those of Ukraine’s European allies who have ruled out putting boots on the ground in Ukraine, Italian President Giorgia Meloni has asserted Italy’s willingness to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in another, unspecified form – should a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia be achieved.

Meloni favors some kind of mutual defense mechanism in the style of NATO’s Article 5 between Ukraine and its allies – a position that Tajani repeated in Parliament on Thursday.

“The starting point is the definition of a collective security clause that would allow Ukraine to benefit from the support of all its partners, including the United States, in the event that it is attacked again,” he said.

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Poland Reportedly Backs EU Plan to Restrict Protection for Some Ukrainian Men

Poland is pushing the EU to revise temporary protection rules for Ukrainian refugees, arguing that military-age men should not automatically qualify for the status. The proposal is part of wider EU discussions on extending or reforming refugee protections beyond 2027, though existing beneficiaries would remain unaffected.

The incursion of at least 19 Russian drones into Polish airspace on Wednesday has added yet more urgency to these discussions. Although stray missiles have entered NATO airspace on a few occasions since the full-scale invasion, the number of drones – and the fact that Polish, Dutch, and Italian jets were scrambled to identify and shoot them down – represents a potential escalation of Europe’s involvement in Russia’s war.

In a statement on Wednesday, Meloni expressed her solidarity with Poland following Russia’s “serious and unacceptable violation” of Polish and NATO airspace.

“Italy will continue to work to ensure Europe’s security, starting with the security of Ukraine, and to reach a just and lasting peace,” the Italian president said.