Italy closes airspace to Russian planes and sends €110 million to Ukraine
Italy on Sunday closed its airspace to Russian aircraft and announced it would send €110 million to Ukraine in a show of solidarity with the invaded country.
Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio announced the news of the foreign aid package in a tweet published on Sunday morning.
"I've informed my colleague @DmytroKuleba that I've just signed the resolution that provides for the immediate disbursement of 110 million euros to the government of Kyiv, as a concrete expression of Italy's solidarity and support for a people with whom we cultivate a fraternal relationship," the post reads.
Ho comunicato al collega @DmytroKuleba di aver appena firmato la delibera che dispone l'erogazione immediata di 110 milioni di euro al governo di Kiev, come espressione concreta della solidarietà e del sostegno dell’Italia a un popolo con cui coltiviamo un rapporto fraterno.
— Luigi Di Maio (@luigidimaio) February 27, 2022
At 3pm on Sunday, Italy joined countries including Canada, France, the UK, Germany and Spain in closing its airspace to Russian aircraft, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an EU-wide ban on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft.
On Monday morning the Italian foreign ministry urged its citizens to leave Russia by any commercial means available.
"In view of this measure and possible further restrictions in the next few hours, it is strongly recommended that compatriots present in the country on a temporary basis... make timely arrangements to return to Italy," the foreign ministry said.
"Tourists, students, business travellers and the like" should return "by the commercial means still available".
Italy also recommended that "all travel to the Russian Federation be postponed".
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Sunday reiterated Italy's support for EU sanctions against Russia, which also entail excluding Russian banks from the SWIFT global payments system.
"Italy gives its full backing to the measures against the Russian Federation presented today by the European Commission," Draghi said in a statement published by his office.
READ ALSO: Swift banking: How would Italy’s ban sanction Russia?
In the same statement, the prime minister urged the European Union to react with the "utmost determination" to Russia's "barbaric" aggression, calling Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a "threat to the whole of Europe".
On Friday, Italy’s parliament declared a three-month state of emergency for foreign intervention over the war in Ukraine and issued a decree authorising urgent measures to be taken in response to the invasion, Italian news outlets reported.
The 'Ukraine decree' - the text of which has yet to be published - primarily provides for the allocation of funds and resources to reinforce Europe's defences and protect Italians abroad.
These include the authorisation of €174.4 million to upgrade NATO's defence systems and €11 million to support Italy's foreign embassies, reports the financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.
€1 million of the €11 million will finance the dispatch of ten carabinieri to guard the country's most exposed offices and staff, according to the same source.
The Repubblica news daily reports that the decree also provides for the deployment of Italian soldiers to Latvia, Romania and the Black Sea; and authorises the transfer of non-lethal military equipment to Ukraine.
The declaration of a state of emergency, or stato di emergenza, creates the conditions that allow Italy’s parliament to quickly pass emergency laws such as this one.
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Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio announced the news of the foreign aid package in a tweet published on Sunday morning.
"I've informed my colleague @DmytroKuleba that I've just signed the resolution that provides for the immediate disbursement of 110 million euros to the government of Kyiv, as a concrete expression of Italy's solidarity and support for a people with whom we cultivate a fraternal relationship," the post reads.
Ho comunicato al collega @DmytroKuleba di aver appena firmato la delibera che dispone l'erogazione immediata di 110 milioni di euro al governo di Kiev, come espressione concreta della solidarietà e del sostegno dell’Italia a un popolo con cui coltiviamo un rapporto fraterno.
— Luigi Di Maio (@luigidimaio) February 27, 2022
At 3pm on Sunday, Italy joined countries including Canada, France, the UK, Germany and Spain in closing its airspace to Russian aircraft, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an EU-wide ban on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft.
On Monday morning the Italian foreign ministry urged its citizens to leave Russia by any commercial means available.
"In view of this measure and possible further restrictions in the next few hours, it is strongly recommended that compatriots present in the country on a temporary basis... make timely arrangements to return to Italy," the foreign ministry said.
"Tourists, students, business travellers and the like" should return "by the commercial means still available".
Italy also recommended that "all travel to the Russian Federation be postponed".
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Sunday reiterated Italy's support for EU sanctions against Russia, which also entail excluding Russian banks from the SWIFT global payments system.
"Italy gives its full backing to the measures against the Russian Federation presented today by the European Commission," Draghi said in a statement published by his office.
READ ALSO: Swift banking: How would Italy’s ban sanction Russia?
In the same statement, the prime minister urged the European Union to react with the "utmost determination" to Russia's "barbaric" aggression, calling Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a "threat to the whole of Europe".
On Friday, Italy’s parliament declared a three-month state of emergency for foreign intervention over the war in Ukraine and issued a decree authorising urgent measures to be taken in response to the invasion, Italian news outlets reported.
The 'Ukraine decree' - the text of which has yet to be published - primarily provides for the allocation of funds and resources to reinforce Europe's defences and protect Italians abroad.
These include the authorisation of €174.4 million to upgrade NATO's defence systems and €11 million to support Italy's foreign embassies, reports the financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.
€1 million of the €11 million will finance the dispatch of ten carabinieri to guard the country's most exposed offices and staff, according to the same source.
The Repubblica news daily reports that the decree also provides for the deployment of Italian soldiers to Latvia, Romania and the Black Sea; and authorises the transfer of non-lethal military equipment to Ukraine.
The declaration of a state of emergency, or stato di emergenza, creates the conditions that allow Italy’s parliament to quickly pass emergency laws such as this one.
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