(ANSA) - ROME, APR 14 -
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Thursday that death threats he has received on social media over his stance against the Ukraine war will not stop the government's action against the Russian invasion.
Two people have been placed under investigation in connection with death threats against Di Maio, police said Wednesday.
Carabinieri police have made home raids on a 46-year-old man in the province of Milan and a 48-year-old in the province of Siracusa in connection with the threats on Telegram.
Police said the men, who were described as "lone wolves", "do not belong to any extremist fringe".
Di Maio has been targeted for his strong support of the Ukrainian people against the invasion by Moscow.
Di Maio's police escort has been beefed up after he received the threats.
Telegram chats still feature phrases like "Putin have him killed" posted by profiles bearing the Russian war symbol Z.
They also include "Di Maio with a spike in his brain", "they'll do you in", "dirty little worm, hung up by the balls", and "die you bastard".
There are several images of coffins and axes with threatening comments against Di Maio accompanied by re-posts of his anti-war statements and newspaper articles.
Talking to Rai 1 state TV, the foreign minister said Thursday: "Threats will not stop the action of the government.
"We have taken a very strong stance towards the invasion of Ukraine but we are keeping channels open with Moscow and Kyiv.
"What I'm more worried about is this denialism (of alleged Russian atrocities) that is circulating in Italy." Di Maio went on: "the whole international community wants peace.
There is a very high consensus on sanctions, we are ready to boost them, with around 200 children killed in almost two months of war. We must get Putin to understand things only by taking away his money, only with sanctions".
Di Maio said Italy was working with Turkey on peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
He also reiterated that a Europe-wide gas price cap was needed to help reduce reliance on Russian gas.
Italy gets 40% of its gas from Russia but this week signed a deal with Algeria to up the 31% it gets from them and is set to negotiate other deals with other African countries, including Congo, Mozambique and Angola.
Italy is also looking to get more gas from Libya and has just sealed ed a new gas deal with Egypt - an accord which has sparked protests over Egypt's refusal to help try four Egyptian intelligence officers in the 2016 abduction, torture and murder of 28-year-old Friuli-born Cambridge University doctoral researcher Giulio Regeni.
"A European gas price cap is needed to avert speculation," Di Maio told Rai 1.
"From the first day of the war we have been working to diversify our supply sources.
"We must reach a sufficient supply (alternative to Russia) by winter.
"We aren't paying the price of sanctions but the price of war".
Di Maio added that Italy had so far taken in some 35,000 Ukrainian children.
The rest of the over 90,000 refugees who have fled Ukraine to Italy are mostly women, he said.
He added that Rome had evacuated most of the Italians from Ukraine, saying there were 2,000 at the start of the war and now there were only 150. |
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(ANSA).
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