ROME, January 8. /TASS/. Italy is preparing a new package of military assistance for Ukraine and is discussing it with Paris as it concerns jointly produced air defense systems, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview with the Corriere della Sera newspaper that was published on Sunday.
"The sixth package [of military assistance to Kiev] is still at the phase of discussion, and, as has been said, there will be no sending [of weapons] before a relevant report to the parliament. We are discussing with the French some points to improve the package from the perspective of sending air defense systems, which are jointly developed by Rome and Paris," the minister said.
When asked to comment on reports that the US could have asked Italy to expedite arms shipments to Ukraine, Tajani said, "We are an important partner, but it wasn’t about weapons."
According to the Italian minister, there are no "good, encouraging news" about the prospect of Ukrainian settlement.
"We need to work on peace, but all incoming signals don’t give us a reason for optimism," he said.