ROME, March 14. /TASS/. Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani has said that he decided to summon the Russian ambassador after statements by Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The spokeswoman earlier said at a briefing that Italian President Sergio Mattarella’s statements that Moscow allegedly threatens Europe with nuclear weapons are false.

"For this reason, I have decided to summon the Russian ambassador," he wrote on X. The Italian top diplomat is currently in Canada for a meeting between foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7).

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has already previously drawn attention to improper and profane statements by Mattarella, who allowed himself to compare Russia with the Third Reich.