Putin: «Bad relations with Italy, however prepared to start out once more». Trump: Zelensky impediment | EUROtoday

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The relationships of Russia with European international locations, Italia together with, at the moment “they leave much to be desired” however Moscow “is ready to restore them”, says the Russian president Vladimir Putin receiving the ambassadors of assorted European international locations, together with Italy, on the Kremlin Stefano Beltramefor the credential presentation ceremony.

“Our relations with each of the European countries represented here, France, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, have deep historical roots, and are full of examples of mutually beneficial cooperation,” Putin stated. But in the meanwhile, he added, “dialogue and contacts, through no fault of our own, have been reduced to a minimum” and “interaction on key international and regional issues has been frozen”. Russia, nevertheless, concluded the top of the Kremlin, “has been and remains committed” to bettering relations with these international locations and “is ready to restore the level of relations we need”. A decisive change of tone, if we contemplate that the Russian president, a month in the past, had outlined the European leaders as “pigs tailing Biden”.

Relations have deteriorated as a result of “we said that the Kremlin was wrong to invade Ukraine and we defended Ukraine, but we are not at war with the Russian people” was the reply of the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

The US president Donald Trump in the meantime it nonetheless lashes out Volodymyr Zelensky claiming that it’s the Ukrainian chief who’s slowing down a peace settlement, not Putin who’s as a substitute “ready”. From Moscow they applaud: “Trump is right, Zelensky is the obstacle.”