🇮🇹🇺🇦 WOW! WHAT A SPEECH! WHAT POWERFUL WORDS FROM ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI! Here is the full five-minute excerpt of her speech devoted to Ukraine and Donald Trump. “Russia has launched a new autumn campaign against Ukraine. Unable to advance on the battlefield, Moscow has increasingly turned its attacks against civilians: power plants, residential buildings, hospitals, and even buses carrying people to work, as in the horrific massacre in Kramatorsk. This is a strategy through which Russia seeks to subjugate Ukraine with terror, cold, and darkness, simply because it has failed to conquer it on the battlefield. The facts contradict Kremlin propaganda and those who spread it here. Since the beginning of the year, Russia has captured very little territory, and in September it lost much of what it had previously seized. This halt did not happen by chance. It was achieved through Ukraine’s courage and Western support, including that of Italy. This resistance is the only effective instrument for bringing Russia to the negotiating table. I respect and understand the passionate debate on this issue, including within this chamber, because nobody here wants war. We all want peace. The difference lies in how we intend to achieve it. As I see it, supporting Ukraine is not an alternative to peace. It is what makes peace possible. Because if an aggressor expects its opponent to surrender, why would it negotiate? Surrender is not peace. It is conquest. If Ukraine stopped defending itself tomorrow, as many suggest, we would not have peace. We would be discussing the occupation of a European nation and the return of Soviet imperialism. Personally, I do not miss those times. I do not miss Russian tanks crushing uprisings in Prague and Budapest. I do not miss the Berlin Wall. And nobody will ever convince me that the surrender of those defending their freedom can be called ‘peace.’ The peace we want, and the peace we are working toward, even at the cost of concessions, is a just peace, because only a just peace can endure. Only a just peace can protect Europe and our interests. That is why our government's position remains unchanged: support for Ukraine, with particular attention to civilians, pressure on Moscow, and Euro-Atlantic unity remain the pillars of our actions. In this context, we must address Donald Trump's diesel agreement with Russia. This is a decision I consider extremely risky. Of course, we all recognize the need to contain fuel prices, which place a heavy burden on families, including Italian families. But we must understand that rising prices are primarily linked to the war in Iran, not Ukraine. Legitimizing Moscow, whose bombs continue to fall on Ukrainian cities, providing new revenues to finance the war, and weakening sanctions are all factors we cannot ignore. And they contradict everything Western nations, including the United States, have done to force Putin to the negotiating table. An energy ceasefire is a different matter, one that Italy supports, and we are grateful to President Zelenskyy for Ukraine's immediate willingness to agree to it. Now we expect Russia to stop attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Finally, at such a difficult moment, when so many variables are beyond our control, there is at least one thing that depends on us: We must ensure that Europe does not simply stand by and watch, because the terms of peace will affect our continent and our security.” — Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy

GENERAL SYRSKYI: RUSSIA HAS OVERWHELMING SUPERIORITY — BUT UKRAINE HAS STABILIZED THE FRONT In an interview with the BBC, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, described the enormous imbalance of forces, the strategic importance of the Kursk operation, and how Ukraine has managed to slow Russia’s advance. RUSSIA’S NUMERICAL ADVANTAGE In 2025, Russia reportedly enjoyed an 18-to-1 advantage in combat aviation and guided aerial bombs, while possessing 2.5 times more artillery and ammunition. However, Ukrainian medium- and long-range strikes deep inside Russia have helped reduce that advantage. According to Syrskyi, Russian battlefield losses can now be six times higher than Ukraine’s. THE KURSK OPERATION WAS A STRATEGIC NECESSITY In the summer of 2024, Russian forces outnumbered Ukrainian troops by as much as six to one in certain sectors. Ukraine responded by striking Russia at its weakest point — the Kursk region. Within a month, Ukrainian forces had seized control of approximately 1,200 square kilometers of Russian territory. Moscow was forced to redeploy around 70,000 troops, giving Ukrainian forces valuable time to regroup and strengthen their defenses. THE FRONT HAS STABILIZED Syrskyi emphasized that the most important measure of Russia’s progress is how much Ukrainian territory it manages to occupy. According to his figures, Russian forces captured just 61 square kilometers during the first six months of 2026. He argued that this demonstrates a significant change in the battlefield situation: Ukrainian forces are no longer retreating as they did in 2024. POKROVSK: OUTNUMBERED, BUT NOT ENCIRCLED Russia concentrated approximately 100,000 troops in the Pokrovsk sector, outnumbering Ukrainian forces by six or seven to one. Moscow claimed to have captured Pokrovsk on September 30, 2024. However, according to Syrskyi’s account, Ukrainian forces did not complete their withdrawal until late June 2026. Syrskyi acknowledged the psychological pressure on soldiers defending isolated positions. A soldier on the front line sees only what is happening directly in front of him. When Russian forces advance, he may feel abandoned. But Syrskyi insisted that no Ukrainian unit was encircled and that commanders successfully withdrew all formations. DISAGREEMENTS OVER DRONE FUNDING Syrskyi also denied having a personal conflict with Mykhailo Fedorov. According to him, their disagreements concerned military funding priorities. Fedorov favored purchasing certain categories of drones, while Syrskyi argued that procurement decisions needed to reflect the broader requirements of the Armed Forces. One particularly serious shortage involved unmanned ground vehicles and robotic systems needed on the battlefield. THE CENTRAL MESSAGE Russia continues to possess overwhelming advantages in manpower, aviation, artillery, and ammunition. But numerical superiority does not automatically translate into battlefield success. Ukraine has adapted, expanded its deep-strike capabilities, forced Russia to divert substantial resources, and significantly slowed the pace of Russian territorial gains. That is the picture General Syrskyi presented in his BBC interview.