Carlo Fidanza, head of Fratelli d’Italia in Europe and one of Giorgia Meloni’s most trusted international advisers, shared his reflections after the Washington summit that brought together Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of the West. He praised Meloni’s leadership and Italy’s role on the world stage, and offered a view of what a united Western approach could look like in the Ukraine crisis.
Fidanza said Italians could be proud that Meloni was seated alongside Trump, with a view of Western unity reflected in the leaders’ photo, and that Meloni’s long-standing push for security guarantees inspired by Article 5 of the NATO treaty has become a central talking point for the alliance. “The pride is double for the Italian right as images from yesterday show a clear sense of an extraordinary path of engagement and consistency—enough to build a party from nothing, bring it to government, and see our leader stand among the world’s greats,” he added.
On whether Trump can help bring the war to an end, Fidanza was cautiously optimistic. He described the Washington talks as positive, noting Western unity as a key signal and the American willingness to participate in security guarantees for Kyiv alongside European partners. He also highlighted the humanitarian dimension, underscoring the urgency of returning thousands of Ukrainian children who have been taken to Russia.
When asked about Emmanuel Macron’s push for Western troops in Ukraine, Fidanza argued that Macron’s position is a bid for visibility and domestic political gain. He warned that Western troops on Ukrainian soil would not be accepted by Moscow. He proposed instead a force of interposition under a UN mandate to protect the front line’s inviolability, coupled with robust Western air, naval, and satellite support. “That is the kind of approach we should continue to discuss,” he said.
Regarding the question of ceding territories, Fidanza acknowledged that Russia currently controls more than 75% of the four eastern provinces it annexed, but warned that the front remains largely stagnant. He cautioned that fully conquering those territories would require months of intense fighting and would be an unbearable sacrifice for both Ukrainian public opinion and the Ukrainian army.
On Trump’s role and the broader debate over a Nobel Peace Prize, Fidanza rejected the idea that his stance makes Italian supporters “Trumpists.” He framed the engagement as a matter of Italian interest within a strong Western bloc. He suggested that had Biden shown even a fraction of Trump’s effort to end the war, the world might be closer to peace and many lives could have been spared. He attributed some of Biden’s constraints to perceived financial interests and the impact of “Russiagate” on 2020 political outcomes, while defending the need for Western unity.
Fidanza also offered a retrospective take on Nobel considerations, arguing that while Obama received the prize as a gesture, Trump could also be deemed deserving for his record of avoiding new wars, deterring rivals, and advancing landmark accords in his earlier term, with a potential “cherry on top” if the Ukraine conflict were resolved in a dignified way.
Summary
Carlo Fidanza underscored Italy’s prominent role in shaping a united Western response to the Ukraine crisis, praising Meloni’s leadership and calling for NATO-style guarantees reinforced by UN-backed interposition when needed. He criticized Macron’s push for European troops, stressed the stalemate on the ground in eastern Ukraine, and framed Trump’s involvement as aligned with Italy’s national interests and the broader goal of ending the war while highlighting humanitarian concerns.
Analysis and context
– Fidanza’s remarks illustrate a consistent strand within Fratelli d’Italia: strong advocacy for Western unity, pragmatic security guarantees, and skepticism toward unilateral European militarization without broader international backing.
– The emphasis on humanitarian issues, especially the return of Ukrainian children, adds a moral dimension to the security conversation.
– The debate over troops versus interposition under UN mandate reflects ongoing disagreements within Europe about how to balance deterrence, risk, and international legitimacy in a volatile security environment.
– Fidanza’s comparisons to past administrations and the suggestion that Trump’s actions could produce a faster peace are part of a broader narrative that casts U.S.-European cooperation as essential to ending the conflict.
Positive take
The interview reinforces a hopeful message: when European leadership projects unity with the United States and pursues clearly defined security guarantees, there is a greater potential for de-escalation and a durable settlement. It also highlights a path that combines deterrence with humanitarian focus and a UN-backed framework to manage peacekeeping and front-line stability.
If you’re publishing this on a news site, you might also include a note on how Italian foreign policy under Meloni could influence future EU-NATO coordination, especially in relation to Ukraine’s security guarantees and the Western alliance’s approach to Russia.