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Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s first woman prime minister, vowed on Tuesday to steer the country through some of the hardest times since World War Two and to maintain support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Striking a combative tone in her maiden speech to parliament, Meloni said her conservative coalition would make its voice heard in Europe and disavowed fascism, despite her own party’s far-right roots.
Italy would continue to support Western sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin regardless of a squeeze on gas imports from Moscow, Meloni said during a wide-ranging speech that lasted more than an hour.
“Anyone who believes it is possible to trade Ukraine’s freedom for our peace of mind is mistaken,” Meloni said.
“Giving in to Putin’s blackmail on energy would not solve the problem, it would exacerbate it by opening the way to further demands and blackmail.”
The head of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, Meloni, 45, swept to victory last month as part of an electoral coalition that included Forza Italia, led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigrant League.
