The Italian government is working to
help avert a military escalation in Ukraine, Foreign Minister
Luigi Di Maio said Tuesday.
"We are working to avert the concerning risk of a military
escalation," he told the joint foreign and defence committees.
"It would add to the already heavy consequences - in
humanitarian, geopolitical and economic terms - of a conflict
that started almost a decade ago on the fringes of Europe, just
200km from Trieste.
"A conflict that from 2014 to today has already caused 15,000
victims including soldiers, fighters and civilians; a million
and a half internal refugees in Ukraine, and 500,000 in Russia."
The foreign minister went on to say that NATO could not close
the door on Ukraine and Georgia.
"NATO can certainly not renege on the 'Open Door' principle and
commitments towards Kiev and Tbilisi taken in 2008 at the
Bucharest Summit, which permit the entry of Ukraine and Georgia
at a time in the future.
"But we know this is a 'red line' for Moscow.
"On the other hand the process of domestic reforms that Kiev has
to enact to approach NATO standards is still incomplete".
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