Europe can’t afford to get war fatigue, Ukrainians tell Meloni

Senior Ukrainian politicians appealed to Europe to not abandon the country after the Italian prime minister unintentionally disclosed during a prank call that European leaders were growing weary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after the country’s unconvincing counteroffensive.

“I see that there is a lot of fatigue … from all the sides,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said to two Russian comedians, pretending to be the president of the African Union in a hoax call, which was made public on Wednesday. “We [are] near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out.”

Ukrainian politicians told POLITICO its soldiers are fighting for European values and warned of appeasing Russia. Oleksandr Merezhko, сhairman of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on foreign policy, said that he was aware of some who support making concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin and are waiting to speak about it at the right moment.

Abandoning Ukraine, he said, “would cost Europe and the world very dearly … throwing Europe and the world security system back to the 19th century.” 

Meloni’s words were made public as Ukraine pleaded in recent days with the U.S. for more training and weapons as Washington is increasingly distracted by a war in the Middle East, its own government’s divided stance on supplying more aid to Ukraine, and a looming election in 2024.

“Europe should be tired of Russia, not of Ukraine,” Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a Ukrainian MP and chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Integration of Ukraine to the EU, said. If Ukraine lost the war, she added, it would be the defeat of the free world, not only Ukraine.

In Italy, opposition parties ridiculed Meloni for the breakdown in security protocols, claiming the prank call showed the prime minister’s team was not up to the job, and called for her to report to parliament.

Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, leader of the centrist Italia Viva party, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the fallout was “a humiliation for Italy and for Giorgia Meloni.” Another former prime minister, Giuseppe Conte of the opposition 5Star Movement, which opposes sending more arms to Ukraine, said in a video on social media that Meloni was deceiving Italians. “She continues to send weapons to Ukraine indefinitely and to pursue military escalation while herself aware of the need for a negotiated way out,” Conte said.

Even Meloni’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said the incident showed “a lack of seriousness” and must not happen again.   

Some members of Meloni’s own Brothers of Italy party defended the prime minister, with party whip Tommaso Foti saying Meloni was consistent and transparent in her communication.

Meloni’s office did not respond to a request for comment. 

One Ukrainian MP, who was granted anonymity to speak about sensitive matters, told POLITICO that, for now, Ukraine feels supported by allies. “We’ll see how much money they will give us in our next year’s budget,” the MP added.