Russia cosies up to Italy in the face of EU inertia
Vladimir Putin met with Italian business executives via video link on Wednesday, as the UK and the US prepared to send in more troops to Eastern Europe yesterday.
The Russian autocrat called Italy a “key partner” for Moscow, and vowed to be a reliable energy supplier.
While the European Union has struggled to reconcile its dependence on Russian gas – with as much as 40 per cent of energy imports originating from Russia – Rome was promised lower prices from Gazprom gas pipeline thanks to long-term deals between Italy and Russia.
The top defence minister in Ukraine was keen to quell fears of an imminent Russian attack, but the US and a handful of Nato allies, including the UK, were reported to be considering sending 1,000 troops each.
Instead, the EU said they would send a “high-level delegation” of eight MEPs to carry out a “fact finding” missing in Ukraine.