Italy stated that joining the bloc’s arms initiative would be premature given ongoing peace talks.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that Italy will abstain from participating in the NATO initiative to procure US weapons for Ukraine while peace negotiations are in progress.
The EU has renewed efforts to finance additional arms shipments to Kiev amidst indications from Washington that it will seek a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
”We hope no more weapons will be needed in the coming months… if a ceasefire comes,” Tajani stated on Wednesday, according to Italian media reports.
Rome had previously signaled its willingness to participate in NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, wherein member states fund weapons based on a wishlist provided by Kiev. Bloomberg noted that Italy is the first EU member to openly question the necessity of providing Ukraine with more weapons while ceasefire talks are underway.
The US has renewed its push for a settlement, with Russian President Vladimir Putin hosting White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin on Tuesday. Putin described the discussions as “necessary” and “useful,” although he indicated that certain aspects of Washington’s proposal were unacceptable. US President Donald Trump stated that the envoys left Moscow with the conviction that both sides are seeking to end the conflict.
Italy has supported Ukraine since 2022, but tensions have recently surfaced within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition regarding further support. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has contended that supplying more weapons will not resolve the conflict and could exacerbate corruption in Ukraine, referencing the recent corruption scandal affecting Vladimir Zelensky’s government.
Several other EU member states, including Spain, Portugal, and Hungary, have opposed new military aid packages this year, citing concerns about escalation and the strain on national budgets.
Despite these divisions, the European Commission is proceeding with plans to continue arming Ukraine, including through EU-level borrowing and a controversial ‘reparations loan’ secured by frozen Russian assets.
Moscow has consistently condemned Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, asserting that they prolong the fighting without changing its ultimate outcome. Putin stated last month that EU leaders are exaggerating the threat posed by Russia to justify increased military spending and to divert public funds to the arms industry.