Subscribe
In a truly complex geopolitical picture, the Italian position was made clear with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s speech at the CPAC convention on the 21st of February. The most eagerly awaited event of the US conservative movement allowed the Prime Minister to take stock of what is happening on a global scale and to reiterate Italy’s commitment to finding solutions that could involve a cooperation between Europe and the US. Even though, in the previous days, talks between Russia and the US in Riyadh had seriously questioned the US’ support for Ukraine, also taking into account Donald Trump’s explicit remarks in regards to the conduct and person of Zelensky, “a mediocre comedian, a dictator”. Strong words that have not left indifferent either the Ukrainian number one himself (who stated that he would be ready to resign for the good of his country, provided that Ukraine would be admitted into NATO) or Europe, currently trying to respond by walking in a very precarious balance. However, the positions – or rather, the balances – are rapidly changing. On Monday 24 February, several things happened hinting at a new twist: Trump and Macron met and discussed in favour of a peace that, according to official sources, would not delegitimise Ukraine and would be a lasting one. Specifically, the tycoon reported: ‘The US and France have fought together in several conflicts and together we will put an end to the bloody war in Ukraine’ and added that fears of a third world war are not so unfounded, which is why cooperation must remain a cornerstone to move the countries involved towards stability. The G7 meeting on February 24th was a suitable opportunity to lay new foundations, a way to understand how to make the new wheels work as it seems the US does not want to go against Russia and still aims for a reaffirmed peace with Ukraine. Putin’s words that he would open up to Europe, as reported by Tass, should also be noted; hence a full participation in the negotiations. It is not known whether Zelensky’s presence is included in the equation. At this point all roads are conceivable, but perhaps not viable. In any case, the American leader also told the media at the end of the day that he had spoken to both sides and that there would soon be interesting updates. Finally, Trump dedicated important words to Giorgia Meloni, stating that the alliance with Italy is fundamental, also talking about his consideration of the Italian PM as a great leader.
CPAC: the premises
Words of esteem, therefore, that Trump had already expressed in the past, but that take on a different specific weight after Meloni’s speech at CPAC. As mentioned, the convention was held at a politically fragile time, with the whole world on high alert. The greeting – interpreted as a Nazi salute – by Bannon, former advisor to Donald Trump, did not help. The fact, denied by Bannon himself, who branded the greeting as ‘customary’ when confronting his audience, prevented Jordan Bardella from taking part in the convention, seeing the gesture as voluntary and conscious. Meloni intervened hours later, getting straight to the point and bypassing all side issues at the event. The Italian Prime Minister, in fact, immediately made it clear that Italy is a growing country and that if it is true ‘that the West cannot exist without America, or rather the Americas, thinking of the many patriots fighting for freedom in Central and South America, those countries too would not exist without Europe’. Therefore, it is inadmissible to think of a split, of such a radical change that would see peoples like those mentioned with no longer a communion of intentions.
Meloni’s speech at CPAC
It was a very intense speech by Meloni who, remotely from her seat in Palazzo Chigi, retraced the steps from her inauguration to the current delicate political issues concerning alliances, cooperation and splits. The Prime Minister recalled the suspicion – on the part of the oppositions – that a conservative government in Italy would have put the country in serious difficulty, being seen as an isolated nation. ‘They were wrong,’ Meloni said, underlining a narrative defined as ‘false’ because today ‘Italy is prospering’. A prosperity that is reflected in numbers, such as employment, ‘record levels’, but also in the economy and a fiscal policy that is ‘back on track’. She did not fail to mention the work done on illegal migration flows, which have ‘decreased by 60 per cent over the past year’. She then spoke on the concept of freedom, reporting on how the policies adopted and the measures implemented have allowed greater freedom for the people.
The message for Trump
For days there have been rumours of an almost impossible-to-heal rift between the EU and the US. Meloni, however, wanted to recall how important the alliance with the US is and said she was fully confident that Trump was on Europe’s side. On the issue, she said: ‘I know him, he is strong and effective, I bet we will prove them wrong [referring to the opponents and all those who see the disconnect as irremediable between the US and the EU]. Some may see Europe as distant, lost. I tell you, it is not so’. Meloni, therefore, believes in her ally Trump and believes in the possibility of getting to sit down at a table where a solid, ironclad communication that can really lead to a true truce, one that will not be undermined by time. This passage ties in perfectly with the one concerning the war in Ukraine. According to Meloni, Europe is very conscious of having to protect its security, not least because it has in its DNA the necessary skills not to let itself be overwhelmed. She referred to controlled invasions and overthrown dictators. ‘A proud people [Ukraine] fights for its freedom against brutal aggression. And we must continue today to work together for a just and lasting peace. A peace that can only be built with everyone’s contribution, but especially with strong leadership.’ One factor that Meloni sees as fundamental in her own policy and wanted to highlight during her speech is the protection of Western values. In fact, the PM explained that, from her own point of view, a radical left would like to ‘erase our history, mimic the identity that belongs to us, divide nationality, ideology and gender’. Therefore, her wish – shared by the world’s conservatives in general – is for a future where the roots are still there, where the values, in which this current of thought believes, are preserved in the face of extreme changes. She also said that in no way can she, or her conservative colleagues, pose a threat to democracy; quite the contrary. ‘Citizens continue to vote for us because people are simply not as naive as they think they are. They vote for us because we defend freedom. Her heartfelt words were rewarded with a standing ovation to which Meloni responded that CPAC ‘understood before many others that the political battle for the values of us conservatives is not only fought in the US. It is a battle of the western world: I still believe in the western world not only in geographical boundaries but as a civilisation’.