Italian Defense Minister Guido Crozetto, commenting on the recent talks between the French and Russian defense ministers, said that the possibility of dialogue with Russia should remain open.
On 3 April, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu for the first time since October 2022.
“Italy and France have always supported and will continue to support Ukraine. It is important <…> that the channels for face-to-face and dialogue also remain open,” Guido Crozetto said, as quoted by Reuters.
He also noted that “tough and critical” communication is necessary to achieve the goal of stopping hostilities and being able to “create conditions for a just peace”.
Earlier, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict without Russia’s participation was impossible.
