Italy will use its G7 presidency this year to challenge the increasingly popular narrative that Russia won in Ukraine and that the West is tired of war. , Reuters reported on January 23, citing anonymous sources. Italian plan.
Concerns about the future of Western aid to Ukraine have grown in recent months, as more than $100 billion in military and financial aid from the United States and the European Union remains stalled due to domestic political turmoil.
Throughout 2024, Italy will hold the Presidency of the Group of Seven, a group of major democracies including Germany, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France and Canada, and will host the G7 Summit in June.
Reuters sources said the leaders’ main topics will include the Middle East conflict, food security, climate change, African development, relations with China and artificial intelligence.
According to sources, Russia’s war with Ukraine will also be an important topic on the agenda, as it was during the past two G7 presidencies.
G7 leaders reportedly remain fully committed to Kiev, almost two years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a sign of weakness The aim is to show that they cannot run the risk of showing their true identity.
“The reporting on Ukraine has to change,” the official told Reuters.
Italy plans to hold 20 ministerial meetings during its G7 presidency, starting with a three-day meeting on industry, technology and digitalization from March 13 to 15, the media said. .
Bloomberg reported on January 10, citing people familiar with the discussions, that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in back-channel talks to increase EU aid to Ukraine by 50 billion euros ($55 billion). The report urged the government to lift the ban.
Mr. Orban was the only one to oppose the EU’s funding measures in December, which delayed vital aid to Ukraine. The EU is scheduled to review the four-year funding agreement at an emergency summit on February 1.
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