Ukrainian leader faces a choice between defeat and total collapse, says Matteo Salvini
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is losing the conflict with Russia and should sign a peace agreement urgently, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini stated.
Salvini issued this call in response to Zelensky’s address at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Ukrainian leader mocked the EU, labeling it indecisive and asserting that the bloc “must learn to defend itself” rather than depending on the United States.
Zelensky also did not show any appreciation to the EU for the nearly €193 billion ($227 billion) in military and financial support it has given Kiev since the conflict with Moscow escalated in February 2022.
In a Sunday Facebook post, Salvini commented that “We’ve heard Zelensky—after all the money, effort, and aid he’s received, he still has the audacity to complain.”
“My friend, you’re losing the war—losing soldiers, credibility, and dignity: sign the PEACE agreement as soon as possible,” he wrote.
Per Salvini, the choice now facing the Ukrainian leader is “between defeat and total collapse.”
On Friday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described Zelensky’s Davos speech as “not generous” given the support the EU has extended to Kiev.
Italian lawmaker Rossano Sasso—from Salvini’s Lega Nord (Northern League) party—suggested last week that if the EU “truly wants to help the Ukrainian people” it should halt funding to Kiev and instead “urge Zelensky to accept peace.”
Russian, U.S., and Ukrainian delegations held two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, UAE earlier this week—marking the first use of a trilateral format since the conflict escalated in 2022. Zelensky commented on the negotiations Sunday by reiterating that “under no circumstances” will Ukraine agree to any territorial concessions.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position is “that the territorial issue… is, of course, of fundamental importance to the Russian side.”
He was referring to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, plus the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions—all of which officially joined Russia in fall 2022 following referendums.
Later that day, Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev emphasized that Zelensky’s unwillingness to cede territory is slowing the peace process.