Milan, Sept 17 (LaPresse) – Asked about yesterday’s meeting with the Russian ambassador, Deputy Prime Minister and Lega leader Matteo Salvini said, “I met the Russian ambassador like dozens of other ambassadors. Newspapers just write for the sake of writing. Yesterday, I was invited like other ministers to the Italy-China diplomatic relations celebration. I went out of courtesy, alongside friends from the PD and Fratelli d’Italia, ambassadors, and diplomats. When you are a guest at someone’s home and someone greets you, what do you do? You greet them back. I greeted the Russian ambassador, the Spanish ambassador, many diplomats, including Italians, as it should be if you want good relations and want to rebuild dialogue. If the conversation is only about war, recruiting soldiers to send them to die on the front, that’s not my goal, nor do I think it is anyone’s goal in Italy. I prefer a handshake to an angry glare.”
He added, “Without any polemics, if we ask Italians for money and sacrifices for security, defense, and recruiting soldiers and police officers, I would rather use them on trains, buses, subways, outside schools, and stations, not send them to fight in Russia. I don’t think people in Lodi or Cinisello Balsamo go to bed worried about a Russian invasion; the real problem is illegal or unwanted foreigners, and we must do more about that.”