Meloni Dismisses Controversy Over Giorgetti’s Ukraine Aid Signature

Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti will sign the latest military aid package for Ukraine immediately upon his return to Rome from Brussels.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed the missing signature on the decree during a phone call with Giorgetti, explaining that a temporary physical impediment prevented him from signing a classified document while attending the Ecofin meeting abroad, according to LaPresse.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto presented the secret package to the parliamentary security committee, the Copasir, while the government moved to minimize political divisions surrounding the delay.

The controversy began when reports surfaced that the economy minister had not yet placed his seal on the provisions authorizing military supplies for Kyiv. Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed to LaPresse that the Treasury had already cleared the text and that Giorgetti would sign it promptly upon returning.

Tajani dismissed the controversy as an obvious political maneuver, noting that parliamentary authorization for the year’s military supplies was granted at the beginning of the year.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the Copasir committee that Giorgetti’s absence was due to illness and travel, insisting there was no opposition from the League party regarding the current signature. According to LaPresse, Crosetto reported that the 2026 aid package focuses heavily on energy infrastructure, as Russian forces increasingly target civilian heating and power networks ahead of winter.

Crosetto noted that Ukraine’s interception rate for incoming attacks has dropped significantly due to advancing Russian technology, necessitating targeted defensive assistance.

Crosetto clarified that the current package is limited in volume and does not include Aster missiles, which Italy needs to retain for its own defense. Parliamentary authorization for these shipments stems from earlier legislative approvals rather than the current ministerial decree.

Despite government assurances, political friction remains visible within the center-right majority. Senator Claudio Borghi, a League member of the Copasir committee, acknowledged that Giorgetti’s signature on the current decree is technical rather than political, as reported by LaPresse. Borghi said his party remains opposed to future military packages.

Borghi warned that any attempt by the government to introduce a new decree for 2027 aid—a measure government sources indicate Crosetto intends to propose late this year or early next year—will face political resistance. According to LaPresse, Borghi stated that Salvini holds a mandate from the League congress opposing further military dispatches to Ukraine, setting up a potential legislative showdown during the upcoming electoral cycle.