Rome could have been the venue for the long-awaited meeting on the war in Ukraine between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Fox News dropped the bombshell, but just minutes later , a Moscow source, reported by the Russian news agency Tass, denied the news: "Rome will not be the venue for the meeting between Putin and Trump."
According to leaks, the American president also discussed the matter with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in yesterday's phone call, gauging her willingness. Secretary of State Mark Rubio also discussed the matter at the NSA summit, which involved the United States, Italy, France, the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Ukraine, and Finland. The capital's solution would not have been displeasing to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky either.
These discussions, however, have clashed with Moscow: the Kremlin's constant support for Kiev (which has never wavered, even with the change of government from Mario Draghi to Meloni) is a problem, and our country is deemed too "pro-Ukrainian." On more than one occasion, Russia has pointed the finger at our institutional representatives, first and foremost President Sergio Mattarella .
The latest attack occurred a few days ago, with passages from some speeches given on public occasions by the Head of State, listed in a list of Russophobes drawn up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow , which included heads of state and government, ministers, and personalities from many countries, including our Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, and Defence Minister, Guida Crosetto.
The accusation was of "inciting hatred," which is why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately summoned the Russian ambassador to Rome for clarification. However, it didn't stop Alexei Paramonov. Just last Monday, he added fuel to the fire during an interview with the newspaper Izvestia, stating that "at this time, our Italian officials cannot be trusted at all." All these factors make it difficult to see Italy as a suitable venue for the Trump-Putin meeting. According to Tass, the summit "will not be in a European country," but according to the source cited by the agency, "the possibility" of holding the face-to-face meeting "in one of the Arab countries" was discussed.
(Unioneonline)