Italy may delay decree extending military aid to Ukraine – Reuters

The Italian government may postpone the adoption of a decree that would allow Rome to continue supplying military assistance to Ukraine next year.

Source: Reuters, citing informed sources, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Sources told Reuters that the Italian government might delay approving the decree that would enable Rome to continue supplying military equipment to Ukraine in 2026 amid tensions within the government.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged to help Ukraine resist Russian aggression until the end, but Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has questioned the advisability of continuing support.

Sources said the decree on assistance to Ukraine was on the agenda for a meeting on Wednesday 3 December, which was focused on preparing for the government session the following day, but it was removed as the agenda was already too full.

The authorisation regime currently allows the government to act without parliamentary approval for each new round of military deliveries. The current decree expires at the end of the year.

Background:

• The interministerial decree on Italy's 12th package of military assistance to Ukraine came into effect on 1 December.
• Meloni's government has sent 11 aid packages since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, with a total value estimated at between €2.5 and €3 billion.
• Italy is also reported to have supplied Kyiv with two SAMP/T air defence batteries.
• In October, Bloomberg reported that Italy's 12th military aid package for Ukraine could be ready by the end of 2025.
• In addition, Italy has signalled its readiness to join the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO initiative under which US-made weapons, particularly Patriot air defence missiles, are purchased with European funds.

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