Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right Italian party of the League, was summoned Thursday to explain himself on contacts between the Russian embassy and his entourage upstream of the crisis which led to the fall of Mario Draghi’s government.
“Russian shadows on the crisis“Politics in Italy,” headlined Thursday La Stampa, the center-right Turinese daily which revealed the affair.
Mario Draghi’s government of national unity fell on July 14 when the Lega, Forza Italia (right) and the 5 Star Movement (populists), refused to take part in a vote of confidence in parliament.
According to the newspaper, a diplomat stationed at the Russian Embassy met a close associate of Matteo Salvini in Rome at the end of May with whom he discussed the political situation.
“The diplomat, making visible the possible interest of Russia in destabilizing the balances of the Italian government with this operation, would have asked if the ministers of the Lega intended to submit their resignation to the Draghi government“, details a “intelligence documentquoted by La Stampa.
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The meeting took place just as Salvini was accused of conducting parallel diplomacy with the Russian embassy, ostensibly to work out a peace plan between Moscow and kyiv, without the knowledge of the Italian government.
The embassy had notably facilitated the purchase of plane tickets for Matteo Salvini and other members of the Lega for a trip to Moscow scheduled for May 29, which was subsequently canceled. The Kremlin has always denied any interference in Italian politics.
Many politicians demanded an explanation from Salvini after the revelations of The print.