Meloni calls Trump’s Russian diesel deal “very risky,” warning it could legitimize Moscow and weaken sanctions

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s agreement on Russian diesel, saying its benefits were uncertain while the risks were clear.

Meloni said the deal could legitimize Moscow while Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continue, generate new revenue to finance the war and weaken the leverage provided by Western sanctions. She said those effects would contradict efforts by Western countries, including the United States, to push President Vladimir Putin toward negotiations.

She defended continued support for Kyiv, saying, “Support for Ukraine is not an alternative to peace. It is what makes peace possible.” Meloni argued that if Ukraine stopped defending itself, the result would not be peace but the occupation of a European nation and a return of Soviet-style imperialism.

Meloni also rejected the idea that alliances require Italy to automatically follow every decision made by Washington, Brussels, Paris or Berlin, saying foreign policy should be based on national judgment rather than unquestioning alignment with allies.

On Russia, Meloni said Putin was provoking Europe to divert attention from the situation in Ukraine and find a new enemy. She called for vigilance and continued defensive measures, but said Europe should remain calm and avoid giving Putin the reaction she believes he is seeking.