Italy summoned the Russian ambassador earlier this week to protest a Kremlin mouthpiece’s vulgar tirade about the Italian prime minister, Politico reports.
In a post on the X, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he had summoned Russian envoy Aleksey Paramonov to formally condemn Russian state TV host Vladimir Solovyov’s serious and offensive comments about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In the minute-long segment, which aired on the 16th of April, Solovyov focused on criticizing Meloni, calling the prime minister a “certified idiot” and a “fascist scum.” After Solovyov accused Meloni of betraying both voters and US President Donald Trump (Meloni had condemned Trump’s attacks on Catholic Pope Leo XIV last week), the TV personality also called the prime minister “PuttaMeloni” (“whore Meloni”).
The Russian ambassador said in a Facebook post after meeting with the Italians that Rome had misunderstood what had happened by calling him to account for comments on television, and insisted that Solovyov’s remarks did not reflect the position of the Russian government. He added that no reasonable person would interpret highly personal remarks as an official statement.
The Russian Foreign Ministry did not respond to Politico’s request for comment.
Rome has strongly supported Ukraine’s efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion
of its territory, and Meloni is one of Kyiv’s main supporters in Europe. The prime minister has increased military cooperation and recently hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss expanding defense support, including against drones. Her stance in Italy has exacerbated domestic tensions. The government’s coalition partners, the far-right League party, energy giant ENI and an opposition party, have floated the idea that Italy could resume buying Russian gas.
Meloni called Solovyov’s speech propaganda. She said the regime’s propagandist could not lecture others about freedom and unity, and vowed that Italy would not change course. Her response won broad support from across the Italian political spectrum. Opposition leader Elly Schlein condemned Solovyov’s tirade as “unacceptable sexist insults” and warned that attacks on the prime minister were insulting the entire country.
The diplomatic incident comes as the European Union has taken a decision to combat Russia’s presence in Italy by withholding funding for the Venice Biennale because it allows Russian artists to participate.
Read also: Kallas: EU will not provide funding for Venice Biennale
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