Italian PM says Europe should resume communication with Russia to end war in Ukraine

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that Europe needs to restore direct communication with the Kremlin in order to have leverage in negotiations on ending the Russo–Ukrainian war.

Source: Meloni at a press conference on 9 January, cited by La Stampa and ANSA

Details: Meloni agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron, who had previously said that Europe should resume a certain level of direct dialogue with Russia.

Meloni said that she believed Macron was right, arguing that the time had come for Europe to talk to Russia about ending the war, otherwise Europe's influence would be limited. At the same time, she stressed that the key question was who should conduct such talks, warning that Europe must not act chaotically, as this would only play into Putin's hands.

She also said she considers discussions about a possible return of Russia to the G8 premature. Russia was expelled from the G8 after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Background: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described Europe as the main obstacle to peace.

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