Italy will not send anyone to Ukraine, as it is not at war with Russia, says deputy prime minister.
"We are not at war with Russia," said Matteo Salvini.
247 - Italy's Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, declared that no Italian will participate in the Ukrainian conflict. According to the politician, Russia poses no threat to his country.
"The entire Italian government declares that none of our men or women will go to war in Ukraine. We are not at war with Russia," Salvini said, according to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the dangers threatening Italy come from elsewhere. "They [the dangers] come from our country's southern borders, where smugglers are trying to flood Italy with illegal immigrants, including Islamic extremists who are creating problems in our cities."
The Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that any scenario involving the deployment of troops from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) states in Ukraine is categorically unacceptable to Moscow and creates the risk of a serious escalation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that none of the European leaders had yet mentioned the issue of Russia's security (with Sputnik).
