'A dramatic climate for all': Crosetto says Italy is not ready for a Russian attack

 ROME - Defence Minister Guido Crosetto was interviewed on the sidelines of the presentation in Rome of the Vespucci's world tour budget. He spoke about the conflict in Ukraine, stating that “we are not ready for a Russian attack or an attack from another country, I have been saying this for some time. I think we have a duty to put this country in a position to defend itself if some madman decides to attack us: I'm not talking about Putin, I'm talking about anyone.” 

 “We are not ready because we have not invested more in defence over the last twenty years, and therefore twenty years cannot be made up in one or two years.” Regarding possible Italian coordination in terms of defence in the East, he said: “We are among the top contributors to NATO on the eastern flank. But we also have the southern flank, and therefore I believe that the contribution made so far on the eastern flank is sufficient. If we were to increase it, we would be formally asked to do so. To date, I have only seen a statement by Rutte on this, but no formal request to Italy. If we are asked, we will decide.”

 Speaking about Ukraine, Crosetto hoped for “an acceleration on the part of the international community in the coming weeks because we have no more time to lose. If the climate remains unchanged, it can only get worse,” he continued. “A climate worse than the one we have now can only be a dramatic climate for all of us. We have a duty to do everything we can to reverse the course towards a precipice that I see as unstoppable and, indeed, increasingly rapid.”

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