Italian Governments and Political Parties Vis-a-Vis the War in Ukraine

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter presents the positioning of the Italian governments and political parties vis-à-vis Russia’s war in Ukraine. We first look at former Italian prime minister Mario Draghi’s government from 13 February 2021–22 October 2022, and secondly at his successor, Prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s government from 22 October 2022–present. Furthermore, we assess Italy’s main political parties and their narratives concerning the conflict in Ukraine. In this chapter, we argue that the transition from the Draghi to the Meloni administration is not showing any significant changes in policies or positions vis-à-vis the war in Ukraine. However, military aid to Ukraine, alongside potential increases in the Italian defense budget, caused tensions among Draghi’s coalition partners, notably the Five-Star Movement, eventually triggering the collapse of his national unity government. The ambiguous and inconsistent positioning of Meloni’s coalition partners, Forza Italia and the League, risks triggering a similar crisis within the right-wing bloc that won the election.