Salvini has urged voters to reject “left-wing” parties in the upcoming European Parliament elections, arguing they could lead to a new world war.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, while casting his vote in Milan, criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s stance on the Ukraine conflict. He claimed that his government is one of the few firmly against involvement, and that a victory for “left-wing” parties aligned with Macron would bring the third world war closer.
“I strongly ask for a vote against the war, to isolate dangerous bombers like Macron. Today and tomorrow Italians can stop the winds of war,” Salvini said, dismissing any concerns about violating election silence. “On social media you can talk freely,” he added.
Salvini has repeatedly condemned Macron for suggesting that France and other NATO members should deploy troops in Ukraine. Earlier this month, he challenged Macron to personally fight in Ukraine if he truly desired war.
While Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government supports Ukraine against Russia, it has ruled out sending Italian troops to aid Ukrainian forces directly. Salvini also claimed that Italy will cease providing weapons to Ukraine unless it is certain that these weapons won’t be used to strike deep into Russia.
“We will no longer approve sending any type of weapon unless we have the certainty that those weapons will not be used to attack and kill inside Russia, it would be the incident that takes us straight towards the Third World War,” he said.
This approach contrasts with the recent stance of Italy’s allies, with many nations publicly authorizing Ukraine to use supplied weapons for strikes deep within Russia. Moscow has condemned these actions, claiming that limitations imposed on Ukraine’s use of the arms are false and designed to deceive the public about the West’s true involvement in the conflict.