Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Friday said, concerning the conflict in Ukraine, that Italy is "very interested in and will support any political and diplomatic initiatives that might lead to peace."

Rome.- In statements to La Repubblica, the head of Italian diplomacy added that “all countries that want peace will be ready to talk to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”

However, he stressed that Italy will maintain the line taken by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) “because unity is our strength.”

“We are not sending more weapons; there is a defense route for new weapons according to Ukrainian requests. However, we are providing materials to restore the electric infrastructure and have made our civil protection available for the cold emergency,” the foreign minister added.

Notwithstanding, faced with a proposal by Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, the Italian Council of Ministers approved a decree on Thursday containing urgent provisions until December 31, 2023, to cede “military means, materials, and equipment” to Ukraine. (PL)