Newsmen
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has urged the citizens of EU countries to vote against “left-wing” parties in elections for the European Parliament, arguing they could ultimately spark a new world war.
Salvini made the remarks on Saturday as he cast his vote in Milan, while launching a new personal attack on French President Emmanuel Macron over his stance on the Ukraine conflict. The Italian government “is one of the few that holds firm” against participation, he claimed, adding that “if the left-wing parties allied with Macron win, the third world war is around the corner.”
“I strongly ask for a vote against the war, to isolate dangerous bombers like Macron. Today and tomorrow Italians can stop the winds of war,” he told reporters, dismissing concerns that his statements broke election-time silence. “On social media you can talk freely,” he added.
Salvini has repeatedly attacked Macron over his suggestions that France and other NATO countries should ultimately deploy boots on the ground in Ukraine. Earlier this month, he urged the French president to put on a helmet and go to Ukraine to fight personally if he desired war.
While Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has been backing Kiev against Moscow, it has ruled out sending Italian troops to aid Ukrainian forces directly on the battlefield. Rome will also stop providing Ukraine with weaponry unless it is sure the hardware will not be used to strike deep into Russia, Salvini claimed.
“We will no longer approve sending any type of weapon unless we have the certainty that those weapons will not be used to attack and kill inside Russia, it would be the incident that takes us straight towards the Third World War,” he said.
Rome’s approach to the conflict contrasts with the stance exhibited by its allies of late, with multiple nations publicly authorizing Kiev to use the weapons they supply to strike deep inside Russia. Moscow has condemned the development, alleging that claims about limitations imposed on Ukraine’s use of the arms are false and designed to maintain an illusion that the West is not a party to hostilities.