Italian president stresses importance of supporting Ukraine in speech on Battle of Monte Cassino

Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy, has stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine in a speech marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino, a key battle in the Allied Powers’ advance toward Rome during World War II.

Source: President Mattarella’s speech on the official website of the Italian President, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Mattarella thanked those who took part in the events of 1944 and the delegations of Allied Powers whose forces were involved in the Italian campaign, including Poland.

In the second half of his speech, Mattarella said that Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine is a reminder, for Europe, of the terrible tragedies of the 20th century, and a call to make effort to protect the peace, freedom, and the rule of law from dictators.

"This means that we have a duty to support Ukraine’s independence and to protect its people. Effective EU cooperation on defence, in close synergy with NATO, is a cornerstone to guaranteeing collective security and restoring international order," Mattarella said.

Towards the end of his speech, the Italian president said that Europe has to make a series of important decisions in favour of the "future that will protect us from making mistakes that the humankind has committed throughout history".

Background: 

• Mattarella has said that the war in Ukraine must not end in "rewarding Russia for its aggression".
• Italy is among the countries that have given Ukraine weapons on the condition that it does not deploy them beyond its borders.

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