By Angelo Amante
ROME – Italian rightist politician Matteo Salvini, who has been amongst Russian President Vladimir Putin’s essential supporters in Western Europe, has pledged to assist refugees fleeing Ukraine from the Russian invasion.
His stance marked a U-turn from the anti-immigration positions that beforehand formed his politics.
Salvini mentioned in a press release he met Italian enterprise and Vatican representatives to debate methods to take care of the refugees and produce a few of them to Italy.
“We need to assist coordinate the help, organise journey and lodging in Italy for these households, with explicit consideration to the orphans and the disabled,” he mentioned.
Greater than 1.7 million Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion have to date crossed into Central Europe, the United Nation’s refugee company mentioned. Greater than 1 million of them are presently in Poland, the place Salvini is now visiting.
Salvini heads the right-wing League get together, which is a part of the nationwide unity coalition, however he isn't within the authorities.
Throughout his time as inside minister in 2018-19, Salvini repeatedly prevented migrant boats from docking in Italy on the grounds he needed to shield the nation’s borders. He's presently going through trial on migrant kidnapping expenses.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has plunged a number of far-right actions throughout Europe into confusion, forcing a few of them to swiftly abandon earlier allegiance to Putin.
Salvini has prior to now worn t-shirts portraying the Russian president at Moscow’s Purple Sq. and on the European Parliament, and mentioned he most well-liked him to Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
He's now looking for to vary tack. Final week he mentioned there was “clearly an attacker and an assaulted” within the Ukrainian disaster and Italy needed to aspect with the latter, with out instantly naming the Russian chief.
“Salvini needed to make amends his authentic sin of pro-Putinism, additionally when it comes to worldwide credibility,” mentioned Massimiliano Panarari, a political communications knowledgeable at Unimercatorum College in Rome.
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