Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Sunday accused his own 5-Star Movement party of undermining government efforts to support Ukraine and weakening Rome’s standing within the European Union.
His outburst could signal an imminent schism in the group he once led, with 5-Star officials due to meet later on Sunday to consider Di Maio’s position following other recent broadsides.
The internal party feuding also creates problems for Prime Minister Mario Draghi as he faces an important vote in parliament on Tuesday over Ukraine, with some 5-Star members looking to limit Italy from sending further weapons to Kyiv.
Italy, like many other EU members, has been sending armaments to Ukraine to aid in the fight against Russian aggression.
Di Maio stated in a statement that the government must protect democratic and freedom values, and that while everyone wants peace, Russian President Vladimir Putin is pursuing conflict.
In this context, he claimed that 5-Star leaders were attacking him with ‘hate’ and generating problems for the government’s European allies. He went on to say, ‘This is an immature mentality that tends to cause problems and instability inside the government.’
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