Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, in an interview with Corriere della Sera, discussed the Houthi drone that was shot down by an Italian military vessel and emphasized that Italy is not in the Red Sea "to carry out war actions, we cannot by law and Constitution, but we will defend our ships. As a member of the public, I would be dissatisfied if a mission to defend the vital maritime traffic in the Mediterranean failed to achieve unanimous agreement". In reference to the critical requirement for assistance to Kiev, which was recently reaffirmed in the bilateral Biden-Meloni and Washington discussions, the executive representative stated, "Attaining Ukraine in its defense efforts is a viable approach to prevent the war from escalating further. If Kiev had fallen, Russia would have come to Europe, causing a reaction. As the Pentagon expressly stated. It is evident that in pursuit of a peace table, we must uphold the principle that borders are essential and international law must be defended, without any doubt". Additionally, Crosetto emphasized the significance of establishing a unified European defense: He stated, "Like the majority of nations, Italy is incapable of defending itself. We have been informed for years that a minimum contribution of 2% of our GDP is required to enjoy a collective defense, but we continue to fall short in this regard as well. However, regrettably, the world has abruptly changed. We believed that defense expenditures were unnecessary and that the armed forces were merely required for rescue operations—a type of civil protection 4.0. There was America, anyway".
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