- Russian ambassador Alexey Paramonov sharply criticized the Italian government for the summons.
- The head of diplomacy, Antonio Tajani, called Soloviov’s statements towards Meloni unacceptable.
- Tajani distinguished legitimate political criticism from vulgar and sexist personal attacks.
Russian Ambassador to Italy Alexey Paramonov on Wednesday sharply criticized the Italian government, which summoned him in connection with the insulting statements of Russian TV presenter Vladimir Soloviov against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloniova.
As reported by the DPA agency, the head of Italian diplomacy, Antonio Tajani, emphasized during the meeting with Paramonova that it is “unacceptable for a commentator working for the state television Rossiya 1 to use vulgar and impermissible language against the prime minister of a free and democratic country like Italy.” At the same time, Tajani added that Rome does not object to Meloni’s political criticism, but to “vulgar and sexist insults”.
Reaction to allegations
Paramonov called his subpoena a “mistake” and accused the Italian government of using the moderator’s statements as a pretext, as “no reasonable person would consider personal, emotional and private assessments to be the official position of the state.”
He also suggested that “anti-Russian forces linked to Ukraine” operating within the Italian government are behind the “attempt to inflate this incident into an international and political scandal”.
Moderator’s statements
In his show, Vladimir Soloviov, who is known as a pro-Kremlin propagandist, called Meloniova a “shame of the human race”, a “wild beast”, a “certified idiot” or a “disgusting little woman”. In the live broadcast, the moderator also accused the Prime Minister of “betraying” Italian voters and US President Donald Trump.
Strained relations between Rome and Moscow
Relations between Italy and Russia are currently rather strained and heavily influenced by the war in Ukraine, although historically they have been pragmatic and economically intensive.
Until 2022, when Russia launched a war against Ukraine, Italy was among the EU states with a relatively open approach to Russia. It maintained strong business ties with it, especially in the energy sector, Italian companies operated on the Russian market, and politically, Rome often sought a dialogue with Moscow. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government is clearly pro-Ukraine, which means that it has a tougher stance towards Moscow than several previous Italian governments.
