The war in Ukraine was high on the agenda. The agreement of 50 billion US dollars, about 47 billion euros, to help the country, through the benefits of frozen Russian assets, was one of the main achievements of the summit.
“A success without fear of being refuted“. At the final press conference of the G7 summit In Italy, Meloni’s words left no room for interpretation. The Italian prime minister is an exception among the other G7 leaders, since she is the only one who has emerged strengthened from the elections to the European Union Parliament, where several countries are going to hold general elections soon.
The war in Ukraine occupied a prominent place on the agenda. The agreement of 50 billion US dollars, about 47 billion euros, to help the countrythrough the benefits of frozen Russian assets, was one of the main achievements of the summit.
“We intend to continue supporting Ukraine. We have decided to redouble our efforts and our actions with a 360 degree approach so that the attacked country can look to the future,” declared Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy.
A different policy for Ukraine and the Gaza Strip
Among the negative notes of the summit, the G7 has been accused of double standards for offering a reinforced support for Ukraine compared to the more moderate posture of political leaders regarding the war in Gaza. One of the most talked about issues of the summit was the absence of the word ‘disruption’ in the final declaration. Many suspected that this had created tensions between Italy and France. Meloni dismissed the issue, stating that it was done to prevent the document from being too repetitive.
“When a statement is repeated, reference is made to previous documents. Honestly, I think the controversy has been totally artificial and, in fact, it is a controversy that did not exist at the summit,” said Giorgia Meloni.
Count on Pope Francis alongside political leaders at the summit, a first for a Supreme Pontiffis widely recognized as an endorsement of Meloni’s position.
The general consensus on Italy’s approach towards the African continent was also one of the highlights of the meeting, according to the italian prime minister. The participation of countries from the so-called Global South to make the summit more inclusive was also one of the main objectives by Meloni. However, in the long term, it remains to be seen what concrete results this measure will bring, suggests in conclusion Giorgia Orlandi, Euronews special envoy to Bari.
