Salvini: Aid to Ukraine can fuel corruption

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said on Friday that providing more aid to Ukraine would not help end the war with Russia and could "serve as fuel for further corruption".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week asked for the resignation of two cabinet ministers. The reason is a corruption scandal in the energy sector, where the total value of bribes may have amounted to more than 90 million euros.

Salvini claims that this may not be the only case of corruption in the Ukrainian leadership. In his view, "the money of Italian workers and pensioners should not fund further corruption in Ukraine". He also stressed that sending more weapons will not solve the war.

Salvini, the leader of the League party, had close ties with Russia before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Yet he has so far supported Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's decision to send military aid to Kiev. However, his comments have caused a rift in the Italian government.

(reuters, sie)