Italy is ready to back the third EU sanctions package against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told Bloomberg TV on Tuesday.
The sanctions package is expected to broaden the list of banks and oligarchs. It is a bid to push Moscow towards a ceasefire.
Di Maio also said the EU is ready to cope with the economic impact of these measures on the economy. He said the EU would not “give in to Russian blackmail” on energy.
4,000 Ukrainian refugees arrive in last 24 hours
Almost 4,000 Ukrainians arrived in Italy in the last 24 hours. There are now some 21,000 refugees from the Ukraine war in Italy, the interior ministry reported.
The exact number is 21,095 refugees since the start of the Russian invasion. That number includes 10,553 women, 1,989 men and 8,553 minors, the ministry said. Their main destinations are Rome, Milan, Naples and Bologna. The daily flow is up to nearly 4,000 from 3,000 Monday.
Paper firms are halting production
Due to the energy shock caused by the Ukraine war, paper firms across Italy are halting production, Assocarta chief Lorenzo Poli said Tuesday.
Poli said the crisis was hitting the entire chain of production. It includes packing material, toilet paper, health and medical paper, graphic paper for publishing and media, the circular economy and paper recycling.
“We held out, even producing at a loss, but in these days an increasing number of paper plants are halting production and cutting activity,” said Poli. “The pandemic didn’t stop us, but an energy shock is succeeding, following the crisis between Ukraine and Russia”.
