Macron and Meloni quarreled over Ukraine, Merz is trying to settle the dispute - FT
Kyiv • UNN
The German Chancellor is trying to reconcile Italy and France over Meloni's exclusion from the meeting on Ukraine. Macron accused her of spreading false information.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is trying to defuse a fierce diplomatic dispute between Rome and Paris over the exclusion of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni from a group of European leaders working with the White House on Ukraine. This was reported by Financial Times, informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that tensions flared on Friday when French President Emmanuel Macron accused Meloni of spreading "false information" after she did not attend a meeting of a group of European leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a joint telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.
The publication points out that Meloni traveled to Albania for the European Political Community summit, which was attended by 40 European leaders, including Zelenskyy. But she did not join Merz, Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish President Donald Tusk at a sectional meeting where they discussed the results of the Russian-Ukrainian peace talks that took place that day in Istanbul.
The Italian Prime Minister, who has been a strong supporter of Kyiv and also has strong personal ties with Trump, told Italian journalists that she was not included on the list because of her refusal to send troops to Ukraine as part of a proposed "coalition of the willing" to ensure security after any peace agreement
In turn, Macron said that the deployment of troops was not discussed either in Tirana or in Kyiv last weekend, where he traveled with Starmer, Merz and Tusk - and without Meloni.
The discussion is about a ceasefire - let's avoid spreading false information. There is enough of this from Russia
The authors note that Merz met with Meloni on the eve of Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass on Sunday and tried to ease tensions, saying that both leaders agreed that Italy "should play its part" in all European peace initiatives in Ukraine.
"Meloni's absence from the European quartet and open criticism from Macron has sparked outrage in Italy, with critics accusing her of distancing her country from important decision-making," the publication writes.
Let us remind you
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that pressure on Russia will continue due to its aggression in Ukraine. He also called on Italy to be more active in European efforts.
Earlier it became known that European countries are not planning to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, focusing on negotiations on a ceasefire with Russia.
