“If we stop supporting Ukraine, we allow the invasion of Ukraine. I am not hypocritical enough to mistake an invasion with the word ‘peace,'” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a fiery 2023 speech.
This is from a leader who, when she rose to power in Italy, Western media branded as extreme right-wing. She had previously praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him a defender of traditional values, so she was expected to take positions like many right-wing politicians across the continent. Politicians such as Marine Le Pen in France and Viktor Orban in Hungary, who have typically aligned themselves with Moscow. The Kremlin likely harbored hopes that Meloni would follow suit, adding Italy to its sympathetic European voices.
That prediction has not held. Instead of drifting toward the Kremlin, Meloni has moved Italy more firmly into the trans-Atlantic core, backing Ukraine at a moment when the Italian public, her coalition partners, and parts of her own base remained skeptical.
Meloni now presides over the most stable Italian government in more than a decade while taking the firmest pro-Ukraine line Rome has seen in years. She has visited Kyiv, pledged continued support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, played a role in facilitating dialogue between Donald Trump and Zelensky at the Vatican, and argued that Ukraine should receive Article 5-style security guarantees as the only credible basis for a lasting peace. She has thus positioned Italy as a crucial voice in European security.
Public opinion in Italy has long been ambivalent about the war. Only 42% of Italians support further aid to Ukraine, while 34% oppose it. When asked which side blocks peace, Italians divide almost evenly between Russia and Ukraine. Thirty-seven percent say they do not care who wins the war at all, 67% report they do not trust Zelensky, and nearly 50% state that they do not take a side in the conflict. Anti-American sentiment is historically entrenched, making Meloni’s decision to align closely with Washington and maintain consistent support for Kyiv more politically significant.
Her coalition partners have been ready to exploit this gap. Matteo Salvini’s Lega has consistently questioned Western support for Ukraine, while Silvio Berlusconi, before his death, went so far as to blame Zelensky for the outbreak of the war. Giuseppe Conte’s Five-Star Movement has echoed similar skepticism and called for a reduction in military aid. Yet, Meloni has held firm.
Meloni’s leadership offers something equally vital: education for a public that, due to the irresponsibility of previous leaders, has been fed policy driven by emotions instead of reality. Meloni gains nothing politically by supporting Ukraine. Italian governments are not elected or defeated on foreign policy. If she had remained ambiguous or neutral, she would have paid no political price. Similarly, she also took an unpopular stance on Israel. During the Gaza war, she said that any political process would require the release of Israeli hostages first. It was not a crowd-pleasing position in Italy. But unlike London and Paris, where the stances shifted quickly with the street, she held the line.
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Some of her critics argue that much of Meloni’s stance has been rhetorical. Italy has not significantly increased its defense budget, and Meloni outright rejected the idea of sending troops to Ukraine. Nor has she drawn clear lines with Viktor Orban or for other growing illiberal leaders.
Still, judged against other recent Italian leaders, her record remains strong.
