Italy’s election may undermine EU stance on Ukraine war

THIS Sunday’s (Sep 25) Italian election is primarily being viewed through the lens of domestic politics and economics, but it could yet have a profound impact upon Europe’s stance on the Ukraine war.

It is not widely appreciated that G7 and G20 state Italy is a key outlier, public opinion-wise, in Western Europe, and virtually across the rest of the EU on the conflict. A recent study released by the Council on European Relations shows that Italy has one of the largest percentages of the population in Europe who favour a peace deal to end the conflict – 52 per cent of the population compared to just 16 per cent in Poland and 22 per cent in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, only 39 per cent of Italians perceive Moscow as being the key obstacle to a peace agreement, while a surprising large 35 per cent blame Ukraine, very different to other populations in Europe such as the UK where the comparable figures are 76 per cent and 8 per cent respectively. Moreover, the Italian populace is one of the most concerned in the EU by the cost-of-living impact of the war.