Italy minister criticises US Ukraine support limits

Italy's defence minister has said it would be a serious error for the United States to limit Ukraine's access to satellite systems and intelligence used to defend against Russian attacks.

Guido Crosetto told the BBC it is a "complete mistake, a major mistake" to restrict such support. He said any such move under President Donald Trump "makes absolutely no sense" and risked prolonging Russia's full-scale invasion rather than bringing peace. BBC

Crosetto said if Putin sees weakness created by the US depriving Ukraine of resources, he will believe he can win and continue the war. "I think that is completely wrong," he added.

Trump has denied that the US has stopped sharing early-warning alerts of incoming Russian aerial attacks with Ukraine. US officials have said Trump has not asked for a slowdown of internet speeds the US provides to Ukraine.

Crosetto said Italian military support for Ukraine would continue "for as long as this government is in place". He is a co-founder of Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia party, which has led Italy's right-wing government coalition since 2022.

Continued arms supplies have limited public backing in Italy. A September Ixè institute poll put support for continuing to supply arms to Ukraine at 18%. Italy's defence ministry lists convincing the public of the necessity of military, political and financial support to Ukraine as a communication objective for 2026.