Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has sought to defuse tensions with France after fellow Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini remarks sparked a diplomatic complaint from Paris.
In Summary
- France summoned Italy’s ambassador after Salvini mocked President Emmanuel Macron.
- Tajani said the comments should not affect Franco-Italian relations.
- Rome maintains it will not join a French-UK plan to police any future Ukraine deal.
On Friday, France summoned Italy’s ambassador to protest what it called “unacceptable” Salvini remarks. The transport minister and League leader had said that if Macron wanted to send troops to Ukraine “he should put on a helmet and go himself, go whistle for it,” using Milanese slang.
Salvini later doubled down, saying Macron was “touchy” because of record-low popularity ratings in France. It’s not the first time Salvini has verbally attacked Macron.
Speaking Sunday, Tajani stressed the remarks would not alter Italy’s relationship with Paris. “It is the foreign minister and the prime minister who set foreign policy,” he said.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has repeatedly ruled out joining a French and UK-led coalition to police a future Ukraine peace deal. Instead, she has called for an “Article 5-like” security guarantee for Kyiv to deter future Russian aggression.
What is NATO’s Article 5?
Article 5 is the cornerstone of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It commits all member states to collective defence: an armed attack against one member is treated as an attack against all. Each member must then take action, including the potential use of armed force, to restore security.
Since NATO’s founding in 1949, Article 5 has been invoked only once—after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
“Not a diplomatic crisis”
On Monday, Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli, a senior figure in Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, urged restraint. “I think the episode should be minimised, quite frankly,” he told Corriere della Sera. “This is not a diplomatic crisis.”
