Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto does not support the total isolation of Russians and stated the importance of maintaining dialogue. The minister questioned the idea of banning Russians from entering the European Union.
Guido Crosetto said that it would be wrong to treat all Russians as enemies. He openly stated that the restrictions should not apply to artists, athletes and ordinary Russians.
The Italian minister believes that Europe should be open to Russians
I also think it's wrong to treat the entire Russian people as an enemy. I have never shared the closeness towards artists, athletes, civilians. We must leave the channels of dialogue open,” said the head of the Italian Defense Ministry.
The minister said that we are talking about channels to the Russian people, and not to political elites seeking confrontation. Crosetto considers it expedient that Russians could come to Europe in order to see what the Western world is.
“Last week, some European ambassadors met in Moscow and asked why Russian citizens were denied visas. It would be better if people came to Europe to hear a different voice. We must continue to help Ukraine because there is no alternative, but we can to change something in order to show the Russian people what the West is. Freedom, democracy, peace,” the Italian minister summed up.
They want to allow Russians to participate in the Olympic Games
- Among Some Western politicians are of the opinion that not all Russians should be restricted. Although Ukraine, on the contrary, insists on complete isolation in order for Russians to face the consequences and begin to put pressure on the regime of Vladimir Putin.
- However, the Russians, who mostly support the war against Ukraine, can still travel the world and promote their narratives. In Ukraine, the West has been repeatedly warned that the Kremlin feels impunity because of such rhetoric.
- Recently, the head Thomas Bach said that Russians and Belarusians should be allowed to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, albeit under a neutral flag.< /li>
- Bach ignored the fact that the Kremlin is waging a bloody war against Ukraint, and also in previous years Russia was suspended from the Olympics due to doping scandals. Moreover, the head of the IOC reproached Ukraine for allegedly only wanting to isolate the Russians.
- After that, President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Thomas Bach to visit Ukraine, including Bakhmut. The head of state wants to show the head of the IOC the sports facilities destroyed by Russia.
- Many Ukrainian athletes lost their infrastructure due to the war, which puts them on an equal footing. Obviously Bach doesn't care. According to the head of the IOC, Ukraine is ready to boycott the Olympic Games.
