Matteo Salvini, Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League party, recently met in Milan with a group of Italian entrepreneurs operating in Russia, followed by interviews with Russian media outlets Tass and Vesti. The outreach has drawn praise from the Russian ambassador in Italy and comes as former party member Roberto Vannacci launches his own political movement, Futuro nazionale, on a fiercely pro-Russian platform. Salvini stated that he views Russia not as a threat and that Italy could potentially mediate the conflict, arguing that the EU has been entirely absent diplomatically. This stance marks a clear divergence from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet, which has consistently backed Kyiv with military aid.