League Leader Salvini Questions Russia Sanctions Effectiveness

Antonello Guerrera at La Repubblica: "Lega's Matteo Salvini: "I fear that sanctions against Russia are fuelling the war in Ukraine. We should ask ourselves, EU included, if they work. Otherwise, we might go on like this for 10 years". Alarm bells ringing from Italy to the West..."

• Former Deputy PM Matteo Salvini was until the invasion of Ukraine a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. While decrying the war, his statements on maintaining sanctions on Russia in response have been less than full-throated to date.
• Ahead of the 25 September general election, opinion polling shows Salvini's right-wing populist League (Lega) in third-place in most polls, in prime position to sit as the junior partner to the nationalist Brothers of Italy (FdI) in a right-wing coalition gov't.
• There will be significant concerns in Brussels, Washington, D.C., and Kyiv about the stance of the next Italian gov't on maintaining sanctions on Russia. As the third-largest EU economy, and break from the united front could prove disastrous for efforts to keep Putin and his gov't under pressure in the months ahead.
• Italy is heavily reliant on Russian gas for power generation, despite efforts from outgoing PM Mario Draghi to diversify supplies. Should the League form part of the next gov't, there will be significant interest in whether any sign of shortages in supply come winter could lead to a change in Rome's stance on sanctions.