“EUROPE WILL NOT STAND BY AND WATCH” GIORGIA MELONI: “Russia has launched a new autumn campaign against Ukraine. Unable to advance on the battlefield, Moscow has begun increasingly targeting the civilian population: power plants, residential buildings, hospitals, even buses carrying people to work, as in that horrifying massacre in Kramatorsk. This is a strategy through which Russia seeks to subjugate Ukraine through terror, cold, and darkness, simply because it has failed to subjugate it on the battlefield. The facts contradict Kremlin propaganda and those who spread it here: at the beginning of the year, Russia captured very little territory, and in September it lost much of what it had captured. This situation did not fall from the sky: it was achieved thanks to Ukraine’s courage and Western support, including that of Italy. This is the only effective tool to bring Russia to the negotiating table. I respect and understand the heated debate on this issue, even within this chamber, because no one here wants war. We all want peace. The difference lies in how we want to achieve it. As I see it, supporting Ukraine is not an alternative to peace; it is what makes peace possible. (Applause) Because if the aggressor seeks the capitulation of its opponent, why would it negotiate? But capitulation is not peace. It is conquest. If Ukraine stops defending itself tomorrow, as many suggest, we will not have peace. We will be discussing the occupation of a European nation and the return of Soviet imperialism. (Applause) Personally, I do not miss those times. I do not miss the Russian tanks that crushed the uprisings in Prague and Budapest. I do not miss the Berlin Wall. (Applause) And no one will convince me that the capitulation of those who defend their freedom can be called ‘peace.’ The peace we want and are working toward, even at the cost of concessions, is a just peace, because only a just peace can last. Only a just peace can safeguard Europe and our interests. Therefore, the government's position remains unchanged: support for Ukraine, with particular attention to the civilian population, pressure on Moscow, and Euro-Atlantic unity remain the pillars of our actions. In this context, we must address Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia. This is a choice that I consider very risky. Naturally, we all share the need to contain fuel prices, which place a heavy burden on families, including those in Italy. But we must understand that rising prices are primarily linked to the war in Iran, not Ukraine. The legitimization of Moscow, whose bombs continue to fall on Ukrainian cities, new profits to finance the war, the weakening of sanctions — these are all elements we cannot ignore and which contradict what Western countries, including the United States, have done to force Putin to the negotiating table. (Applause) An energy ceasefire is another matter, one that Italy supports, and we are grateful to President Zelenskyy for Ukraine's immediate readiness to accept it. Now we expect Russia to stop attacking Ukraine's power grid. Ultimately, at such a difficult moment, when so many variables are getting out of control, there is at least one thing that depends on us: Europe will not stand by and watch, because the terms of peace affect our continent and our security.” Rome, Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Speech dated October 14, 2026.