Rome, 9 August (LaPresse) – “I am familiar with the position of the European Socialists, which I share, and it certainly does not coincide with the content of the resolution agreed in the Chamber of Deputies by the leaders of the PD, AVS and M5S.” So said Giorgio Gori, a PD MEP, in an interview with Corriere della Sera. “Support for Ukraine – including military support – and the strengthening of continental defence characterise a stance that is shared not only by European democracies, but even more so by the Party of European Socialists and the S&D Group. These are two interconnected points: firstly, because it would be extremely serious to withhold European support from Ukraine as it fights against Russian aggression; and secondly, because Europe itself, no longer able to rely on the protection of the United States, is exposed to new threats. To deviate from this framework means breaking with European democracies and with European socialism. I do not believe that the PD can afford such a rift, nor can the coalition as a whole, because these two points – as Gentiloni clearly explained in his interview with *Il Corriere* – are the minimum requirement for anyone wishing to stand as a candidate to govern the country.”
Gori: ‘The PD cannot afford rifts over EU defence and arms for Kyiv’
Rome, 9 August (LaPresse) – “I am familiar with the position of the European Socialists, which I share, and it certainly does not coincide with the content of the resolution agreed in the Chamber of Deputies by the leaders of the PD, AVS and M5S.” So said Giorgio Gori, a PD MEP, in an interview with Corriere della Sera. “Support for Ukraine – including military support – and the strengthening of continental defence characterise a stance that is shared not only by European democracies, but even more so by the Party of European Socialists and the S&D Group. These are two interconnected points: firstly, because it would be extremely serious to withhold European support from Ukraine as it fights against Russian aggression; and secondly, because Europe itself, no longer able to rely on the protection of the United States, is exposed to new threats. To deviate from this framework means breaking with European democracies and with European socialism. I do not believe that the PD can afford such a rift, nor can the coalition as a whole, because these two points – as Gentiloni clearly explained in his interview with *Il Corriere* – are the minimum requirement for anyone wishing to stand as a candidate to govern the country.”