Meloni warns Parliament: Trump's Russian gas deal "very risky", defends Italy's war stance

The remarks came during her parliamentary address ahead of the European Council summit scheduled for 15–16 October.

The speech carries weight beyond domestic politics: Meloni's public break with a Trump initiative on Russian energy signals a potential fault line between Rome and Washington at a moment when European unity on Ukraine sanctions remains fragile, and it sets Italy's negotiating posture before a summit where the EU budget and the war in Ukraine are both on the agenda.

What happened

Meloni told senators that the Trump-brokered gas agreement produces doubtful results while the risks are clear.

On the Russia-Ukraine war more broadly, Meloni rejected the label of warmonger. She stated that defence funds are not taken from hospitals or schools, and that the EU fiscal flexibility used for defence spending could not legally be redirected to other purposes. Italy, she explained, chose to use 1.2% of GDP out of the maximum 1.5% allowed under the national safeguard clause — split equally between energy crisis measures (0.6%, roughly €14 billion for vulnerable households and energy-intensive firms) and defence and security (0.6%).

Why it matters

Meloni also used the session to draw a sharp line on the EU budget. She added that Rome has "several reservations" about the new own-resources proposals from the European Commission, but is willing to work on the basis of lightening the burden on national budgets without new taxes.

The Prime Minister's attack on the Five Star Movement and its leader Giuseppe Conte drew a sharp response in the chamber. Meloni said Conte would never have reached Palazzo Chigi under current electoral rules — a pointed jab at a party that has been among her sharpest critics. Five Star's Senate group leader Luca Pirondini fired back, accusing Meloni of conceding Italy's diplomatic role on Ukraine by deferring to the France-Germany-United Kingdom E3 format, calling it "the surrender of Italian diplomacy."

Voices from the chamber

The Senate approved two majority resolutions: the first, covering the main European Council themes, passed with 104 votes in favour, 61 against and 4 abstentions; the second, focused specifically on Ukraine, passed with 108 in favour, 1 against and 2 abstentions. Opposition groups did not participate in the Ukraine vote, objecting to the decision to present two separate motions rather than one.

Democratic Party Senate group leader Francesco Boccia stopped short of calling the government warmongering but pressed Meloni to explain how Italy will finance both higher defence spending and public healthcare simultaneously, noting that according to ISTAT data for 2024, 5.8 million Italians went without medical visits or tests.

What to watch next

• 15–16 October 2026: European Council summit, where EU competitiveness, energy costs, the Ukraine conflict and the multi-year budget framework are all on the agenda.
• The EU budget negotiation deadline: the Irish Presidency and EU institutions have set an end-of-year target for a deal, which Italy has signalled it will not accept unless terms improve.
• Italy's continued leadership of the Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea, with Meloni calling for more ships from EU partners to protect freedom of navigation at the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb.