Ukraine, the League unsticks: clarity or no new arms to Kiev

The League continues to demur on sending arms to Kiev. The Supreme Council of Defence (which confirmed "the full support" to Ukraine) concerned "aid that has already been decided", emphasises deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini. The Carroccio leader, after the monition of the past few days ("I would not like that with the money for weapons we go to fuel further corruption in Ukraine"), issues a clear warning to the allies: "This is not how the war ends and this is not how we intend to go on. For the future we demand clarity'.

And the future is just around the corner: having secured the twelfth aid package, which should be formalised between the end of November and early December, the new annual authorisation will have to be voted on in parliament immediately afterwards. That will be the occasion when the majority will necessarily have to pull the strings on Kiev and the confrontation may prove to be not painless.

Not least because also at stake are the weapons destined for Ukraine that the US would like to sell to Italy: the adhesion to the Purl programme (for now on stand-by) on which the centre-right leaders could decide after the last regional elections. FdI and FI are toning down for now: they say they are certain that, in the end, the leghists will comply 'as they have always done' on support for Vladimir Zelensky and that, therefore, the centre-right front will come out intact.

But on the record there is already an announcement that makes noise: 'I have no intention of voting for another' authorisation, says Senator Claudio Borghi, pointing out the 'doubts about the proper management of the funds' given to Kiev. A key on which Salvini himself and his deputy Roberto Vannacci are beating. "I wouldn't want there to be the strange triangulation: an Italian pensioner gives money to Brussels, which turns it over to Zelensky; part of it ends up in corruption, the other part ends up buying arms for the French," the Lega Nord leader reasons. And the former general increases the dose by talking about European money dispersed 'in gold toilets, villas, yachts'. Popular consensus on 'support' for Kiev 'has dramatically waned', he warns, foreshadowing consequences at the ballot box.

The Forza Italia line is very different: 'Military support for Ukraine is necessary if we do not want to throw away all the efforts made so far. We must press on, trying to achieve peace. The League has always shown responsibility on this issue'. In the same vein are the statements of Fratelli d'Italia, with the deputy group leader in the Senate, Raffaele Speranzon, throwing water on the fire: 'Borghi? If an MP abstains, it will not change the substance'. And then, 'we are also in the election campaign, we'll see...'. It is in this climate that the Defence Department is limning the contents of the twelfth weapons package that is allegedly on the home stretch at Copasir. Having denied in recent days the sending of Samp/T missiles, the contents should mirror those of the previous 'packages'.