Italy does not want war, but its army is ready: Foreign minister

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - Italy's army is ready, but it does not want war, the country's foreign minister said Wednesday, nearly three weeks into Russia’s war on Ukraine.

"Our army is prepared like any other army, but we certainly do not want war," Luigi Di Maio told the LA7 TV channel.

Speaking on the latest developments in Ukraine, Di Maio said "Italy opposes implementing a no-fly zone in Ukraine because that would mean our warplanes fight and a third world war breaks out."

Also, they cannot send Italian soldiers to Ukraine but support the Ukrainians, he said.

Touching on the possible consequences of the war on Ukraine on Russia's economy, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin “deliberately invaded Ukraine," adding the Russian leader also harmed the Russian economy in this way.

There are predictions that the Russian economy will suffer serious losses due to the European Union’s economic sanctions, he added.

"Our diplomatic actions continue unremittingly. I met with Turkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye. He is in Moscow today. French President Emmanuel Macron is working on behalf of all European countries. We must bring Putin to an agreement at the table," he added.

Kyiv is ready for peace, but Moscow is running away from it, he noted.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial restrictions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 726 civilians have been killed and 1,174 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, while noting that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.

More than 3 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency.