Ukraine will not be able to defeat Russia if victory is understood to mean ‘the complete military defeat of the enemy’, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crozetto said in an interview with the BBC.
He described the end of Russian aggression, the restoration of freedom and the ability to determine its own future as “a real success for Kyiv”.
“Ukraine will never be able to win this war,” said the Italian minister. According to him, some people interpret talk of a Ukrainian victory as “an intention to crush Russia and see the Ukrainian flag flying over Moscow”. However, Crozetto believes that “such a scenario is impossible”.
The minister emphasised that the “main objective” is to preserve the Ukrainian state and bring the war to an end.
“For Ukraine, victory means that Russia will leave, stop dropping bombs, and Ukraine will once again become a free country — able to live freely and build its own future,” he explained.
Italy continues to support Ukraine
According to Crozetto, the government continues to support Kyiv, although, as he claims, the majority of Italians “are opposed to military aid for Ukraine”. Italy has already delivered 12 aid packages to Ukraine and may provide another one by the end of the year.
The minister also stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to restore the country’s status as a ‘great power’, which it held during the Soviet era. In Crozetto’s view, “Moscow does not want to accept that it is second to the US and China in terms of influence, and is attempting to become the third centre of power in the world”.
Crozetto recalled Russia’s military actions against Ukraine, including the occupation of Crimea, as well as the attack on Georgia. He noted that “Russian policy involves the use of force to seize foreign territories”.
The Italian Defence Minister drew particular attention to Russia’s “significant expenditure” on armaments and the military sector. In his view, this “casts doubt on Putin’s willingness to cease aggression following the war against Ukraine”.
The Ukrainian authorities have not yet publicly commented on the Italian Defence Minister’s statement.
Earlier in Paris, the leaders of Ukraine, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, ‘recognising the growing threat posed by ballistic missiles’, announced the formation of a defence coalition.