Italy revokes honours for 'unworthy' Russian PM
Italy stripped Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and three other high-ranking Russians of one of its highest honours on Thursday, saying they no longer deserved it.
Mishustin and Trade Minister Denis Manturov had been given the title 'Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Italy' in 2020, but President Sergio Mattarella signed a decree revoking the honour, deeming them "unworthy".
He also stripped the same title from Deputy Industry Minister Viktor Evtukhov and Andrei Kostin, head of Russian state bank VTB.
"The Russian Federation must be placed under strong pressure, which is what we're doing with the European Union, because a prolonged war in Europe could have incredibly serious consequences," Mattarella warned on Thursday after a meeting with his Algerian counterpart in Rome.
EXPLAINED: Why and how Italy will pay for Russian gas in rubles
The Order of the Star of Italy was created in 2011 to replace the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, which was awarded to people who helped rebuild the country after World War II.
It is awarded by the president to Italians or foreigners who have worked to "promote friendship and collaboration between Italy and other countries".
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Mishustin and Trade Minister Denis Manturov had been given the title 'Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Italy' in 2020, but President Sergio Mattarella signed a decree revoking the honour, deeming them "unworthy".
He also stripped the same title from Deputy Industry Minister Viktor Evtukhov and Andrei Kostin, head of Russian state bank VTB.
"The Russian Federation must be placed under strong pressure, which is what we're doing with the European Union, because a prolonged war in Europe could have incredibly serious consequences," Mattarella warned on Thursday after a meeting with his Algerian counterpart in Rome.
EXPLAINED: Why and how Italy will pay for Russian gas in rubles
The Order of the Star of Italy was created in 2011 to replace the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, which was awarded to people who helped rebuild the country after World War II.
It is awarded by the president to Italians or foreigners who have worked to "promote friendship and collaboration between Italy and other countries".
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