Fans of the former president of the ECB can be reassured: Mario Draghi’s government, which is due to present a new resolution on Ukraine to the Senate on June 21, will not fall today. However, the national unity executive, in place since February 2021, seems to be divided around the question of sending arms to Ukraine. A real bone of contention between the parties.
Because if within this Italian “grand coalition” the Democratic Party (centre left) and Forza Italia (centre right) are largely in favor of military support for kyiv, other political forces such as the League of Matteo Salvini (nationalist right) are dragging their feet. The reason ? These arms shipments would only result in prolonging the Ukrainian conflict to infinity.
Lately, it is the Five Star Movement (M5S) that has seemed the most critical of the military aid granted to kyiv. In fact, summarize The Republic, “the M5S would like Draghi to explain himself to Parliament before each international summit and when the government decides on new arms shipments to kyiv”. What the government “does not consider it necessary”, and for good reason, according to the centre-left daily: the Ukraine decree signed in February already authorizes possible shipments until the end of the year.
Giuseppe Conte against Luigi Di Maio
Today, the 5 Star Movement is guided by the former President of the Council Giuseppe Conte, who considers that he plays part of his political credibility on this “pacifist” line that he embodies. Unfortunately, his position comes into open conflict with the other M5S heavyweight, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. The latter, perfectly aligned with Draghi, even openly reproached the Movement for its insufficiently Europeanist and Atlanticist positions, which set fire to the powder within the 5 Stars.
Thus, on June 21, the indiscretion of an imminent split within the M5S exploded in the Italian press.
The right-wing daily The newspaper is sure of his shot:
“Tonight, Luigi Di Maio, will formalize his farewell to the M5S, and he will bring his troops with him. There is currently talk of some 35 or 40 deputies and senators who would form a new group in Parliament.”
This one would even already have a name, rather paradoxical for a group resulting from a split: Together for the future.