One more charge from Matteo Salvini against Emmanuel Macron. The Italian Deputy Prime Minister published this Tuesday, June 4 on social networks a montage depicting the French president in heavy military uniform and equipped with an assault rifle; a way of reaffirming its absolute opposition to the possible sending of Western troops to Ukraine.
“A military escalation and Italian soldiers on the front on the orders of dangerous ‘bombers’? No thanks”, wrote on his X account the far-right leader whose party, the League, belongs to the government coalition led by Giorgia Meloni. “Yes to Italy’s commitment to peace, to the refusal of war provided for by the Constitution, inspired by the collective moral conscience and by our Christian tradition,” he then adds, calling on voters to vote for the League for “more Italy and less Europe”.
This outing is just one among others in recent weeks, still on the subject of Emmanuel Macron’s controversial position regarding the possible sending of Western troops to defend Ukraine against Russia. If the Italian government of Giorgia Meloni declared itself firmly opposed to this possibility, Matteo Salvini wanted to show his opposition… in his own way. He called on the French president to “go and get treatment” last May, before describing him as “crazy” this Monday. Last March, still on this subject, he assured that “President Macron, with his comments, represents a danger for our country and our continent”.
A controversial pro-Kremlin position
Since his sensational entry into the Italian political landscape, particularly since his appointment as Minister of the Interior in 2018, it is an understatement to say that Matteo Salvini’s relations with Emmanuel Macron have always been extremely tense. At the time, a leading figure in Italian politics, he never missed an opportunity to attack the French president, particularly regarding his migration policy. But also for his international positions: like the National Rally, of which he is the privileged partner in the European Parliament in the Identity and Democracy group, Matteo Salvini has long been a great defender of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His party, the League, signed an agreement in 2017 with United Russia, the party of the Kremlin autocrat, which was automatically renewed in 2022.
If the invasion of Ukraine – which he condemned – forced him to temper his pro-Russian position, like the National Rally, Matteo Salvini has since continued to make ambiguous comments about Russia. He notably assured that “when a people votes, they are always right” regarding the re-election of Vladimir Putin last March, or considered that it was up to Russian “doctors and judges” to shed light on the circumstances. of the death in prison of the main opponent of the Kremlin, Alexeï Navalny.
But if controversial outings have always been an important part of Matteo Salvini’s character, this refrain against Emmanuel Macron is far from coming at a risky moment. While the European elections are only a few days away, his party, the League, is only credited in the polls with just over 8% of the vote, a far cry from the 2019 election where it came in first. in Italy, winning 29% of the vote and 29 seats out of 76. This time, he sees himself largely surpassed by Fratelli d’Italia, the post-fascist party of leader Giorgia Meloni, which has largely supplanted him and assumes responsibility for her Atlanticist, pro-Kiev and anti-Putin posture.