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Surveys show Italians increasingly against supplying Ukraine with more weapons

Sunday, 29 January 2023 12:40 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 29 January 2023 12:41 AM ]

Max Civili
Press TV, Rome

The latest surveys are indicating that more and more people in Italy are against sending weapons to Kiev, calling for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

According to a Euromedia poll, over half of Italians, about 52 percent, oppose supplying Ukraine with modern Western-made weapons, up several percentage points from mid-December. Furthermore, almost seven out of ten respondents were also against a possible intervention of NATO in the conflict. After weeks of doubt, the Italian government has confirmed it is ready to supply Ukraine with its costly Samp-T air defense system.

Italy only has five Samp-T batteries. This issue has caused concerns over the weakening of country's defense capabilities. Also, other polls show a growing opposition among Italians to an even more active role by the Giorgia Meloni government in the conflict. According to a survey commissioned by the state broadcaster RAI, an overwhelming majority of Italians - almost 80 percent - believe that the Ukraine conflict is far away from them.

Another survey carried out by market research company, SWG, has revealed over half of Italian citizens oppose the government's plans to raise defense spending to two percent of GDP by 2028. Doing so would align the country with NATO's desired threshold. Italy’s next aid and military package for Ukraine is to be announced by the Meloni government in the early days of February.

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