"After more than a thousand days of war, the G7's support for Ukraine will remain unwavering, because it is necessary for Kiev to be in a strong and solid position for any peace talks or negotiations. On the other hand, we see no sign of openness to a peaceful solution on the part of Russia, the aggressor state,' Italy's ambassador to Kiev, Carlo Formosa, told the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform in an interview.
The objective of the G7, which Italy chairs until the end of the year, "remains the achievement of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, capable of restoring full respect for the fundamental principles of international law, blatantly violated by Russia. To this end, we will continue to engage with global partners and actors - let me mention China, India and Brazil - in order to achieve as broad a consensus as possible on the key principles of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, in compliance with international law,' says Formosa, whose interview opens the homepage of the Ukrinform website.
Asked whether the growth of populism in Europe makes it difficult to convey the message about who is the aggressor and who is the aggressor, Formosa replies, "I believe that actions speak louder than words," adding that "the overwhelming majority of forces in Parliament so far have supported all measures to support Ukraine, even authorising a continuous flow of defence aid."
"Ukraine is now a candidate for the European Union, the negotiations for its accession are open and have been going on since last June: this is a historic achievement for Ukraine," added Formosa, who then spoke about the Rome Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine, scheduled for 2025: by hosting it, he said, "Italy intends to promote an inclusive and results-oriented approach. In continuity with the (similar) Berlin conference, the agenda will focus on four chapters: private sector involvement, the local dimension, reform of the EU accession process and human capital development. Preparatory events will be devoted to each of these areas and the event on human capital will take place in Kiev'.
Asked whether German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's phone call to Vladimir Putin marks "a change in (the G7's) strategy towards Russia, from isolation to dialogue", the ambassador replied: "Every country and every leader is free to make his or her own choices, but we feel that any step without prior consultation is destined to remain without effect. The priority for Italy is to continue to act in a united manner to ensure that there is a broad peace conference'.
Finally, on the massive Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure: 'The Italian G7 presidency gives top priority to the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, with a specific focus on its energy sector'.
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