BORGO EGNAZIA, Italy (AP) — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ceasefire offer to Ukraine was “propaganda,” at the end of a G7 summit. in which an agreement was reached to grant a loan of 50 billion dollars to Ukraine.
The loan will be provided by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and possibly Japan, Meloni said. The frozen Russian assets that will be used as collateral are mainly located in Europe, “so Europe is already contributing by identifying the collateral mechanism,” she added.
The loan agreement was reached at the opening on Thursday of the annual two-day meeting of the leaders of the G7 countries (Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom) in the Apulia region, in southern Italy.
When asked about Putin’s ceasefire proposal, Meloni said: “It seems to me more like a propaganda gesture than a real one.”
The Russian president said Friday he would “immediately” order a ceasefire in Ukraine and begin negotiations if kyiv begins withdrawing troops from the four regions Moscow annexed in 2022 and abandons plans to join NATO.
“If President Putin’s proposal is: We are ready for a peace negotiation if Ukraine recognizes the invasion of Ukraine and renounces the occupied parties… it does not seem particularly effective to me,” Meloni said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one of several world leaders who attended the G7 as guests, has rejected what he called Putin’s ultimatum to give up more territory.
A peace conference for Ukraine was being held in Switzerland on Saturday, although with Russia absent, it was doubtful whether any major progress could be made.
During the press conference, Meloni was asked about the war between Israel and Hamas and why the G7 had not condemned Israel for the deaths of civilians due to its offensives in Gaza.
“I think we have to remember who started all this and it was not Israel, but a group that killed civilians, women and children,” Meloni said, referring to the October 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel that left about 1,200 dead. and unleashed the war. Israel’s bombing and ground attacks in Gaza have claimed the lives of more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian medical authorities, without breaking down the number of civilians and combatants.
“Now we must work for peace, which means dialogue, recognize Israel’s right to be safe, to live in peace, and the right of the Palestinians to have their own state in which to live peacefully,” he said. “It is the only way to address this problem; “Our job is to dialogue with everyone.”
However, he added that Israel was falling into a trap with its response to October 7.
“It seems that Israel is falling into a trap. Because Hamas’s trap was to isolate him. It seems to be working,” Meloni said, adding that Israel’s friends “have to speak clearly to him, for his safety… and this is exactly what Italy is doing.”
The Italian Prime Minister also expressed her satisfaction at the fact that “the G7 has spoken for the first time about migratory flows and the fight against human traffickers.”
“We must guarantee everyone the right not to emigrate and to leave their own home,” he stated.
Known for her hard line on migration, Meloni had put the issue on the table as host of the summit and was eager to increase investment and financing for African nations as a means of reducing migration pressure on Europe. Italy is one of the main entry points into the European Union for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
In its final communique of the summit, the G7 announced a coalition to fight migrant smuggling, noting that the seven nations “will focus on the root causes of irregular migration, on efforts to improve border management and stop transnational organized crime, and create safe and regular routes for migration.”
Becatoros reported in Bari, Italy. Associated Press writer Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.
