Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is going head-to-head with her right-wing coalition partner and deputy, Matteo Salvini, over additional aid for Ukraine, with a previously drafted decree for additional aid now only to be placed on the agenda next year.
Salvini says more aid for Ukraine makes no sense given Zelensky’s corruption scandals and could “fuel further corruption.”
“Corruption scandals involving the Ukrainian government are coming to light, so I wouldn’t want to see Italian workers’ and pensioners’ money used to fuel further corruption,” he said in November, as cited by Do Rzeczy.
Salvini also believes more weapons and equipment is futile because Ukraine cannot win. “I think what’s been happening in recent hours, with the advance of Russian troops, shows us that it’s in everyone’s interest, and above all, in Ukraine, to end the war,” he said.
According to Reuters sources who requested anonymity, the decree on aid for Ukraine was included in the agenda of Wednesday’s government meeting, but it was ultimately dropped because the agenda turned out to be “already too full.”
Reuters has also pointed out previously that Salvini has never directly criticized Putin and has enjoyed close relations with Moscow before its invasion of Ukraine.
Italy has sent Kyiv 12 military aid packages, including the SAMP/T air defense system.
Italian law allows the government to act without requiring parliamentary approval for each new round of arms deliveries, although this will end at the end of the year.
A new decree must be ratified by parliament within 60 days.
Salvini then referred to the corruption scandal in the Ukrainian energy system, which resulted, among other things, in last week’s resignation of the head of the Ukrainian President’s office, Andriy Yermak, one of Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest associates.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky has found himself in an ever-growing scandal involving the embezzlement of some $100 million, although he has not yet been directly implicated.
Now, a new poll shows that more than half of Ukrainians surveyed believe that Zelensky should not run for re-election.
According to a survey by the Sociopolis institute, cited by Espreso TV, versus the same poll in September, the percentage of those in favor of a single term rose from 46.6 percent to 52.2 percent, while support for a second term fell from 47.4 percent to 42.8 percent and 5 percent are undecided.
Surprisingly, trust in Zelensky has declined but is still above 50 percent. Currently, 54% of Ukrainians say they trust the president, while 41.9 percent say they distrust him. By comparison, in September 2025, 59.7 percent trusted him, while 35.8 percent expressed distrust.
