A telephone prank has put Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a bind at home. The leader of Brothers of Italy has been the latest victim of two Russian comedians, one of whom posed as an African leader who is having a conversation with her about the global geopolitical situation. In this call, lasting thirteen minutes and broadcast yesterday on social networks and by the Russian state agency Tass, Meloni speaks bluntly about the conflict in Ukraine and admits that many are "tired" of the affair.
"I see that many are tired, I must say the truth, from all sides. Honestly, we could be close to the moment when everyone will understand that we need an exit", says the Prime Minister in the conversation, revealed by the two Russian impostors, the comedians Vovan and Lexus. Since taking command of Italy more than a year ago, the leader of Brothers of Italy has publicly maintained unwavering support for Ukraine.
The interlocutor, pretending to be the president of the African Union Commission, laments to Meloni that they can no longer request funds from European organizations because "all the EU money goes to Ukraine". The Italian agrees and comments: "The problem is to find a solution acceptable to both parties, without violating international law". "I have a few ideas on how to manage this situation - he continues - but I'm looking for the right time to present them."
The team of the Italian premier was forced to intervene and sent a statement in which it assures that the diplomatic adviser's office, which has been exposed, regretted having been "deceived by an impostor who has posed as the president of the African Union Commission and who was able to get in touch with the president [of the Italian Council of Ministers] Meloni”. According to the note, the episode took place on September 18 in the "context of the intense effort developed during those hours by Meloni to strengthen relations with African leaders, with whom he has had important meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly between 19 and 21 September". The explanations did not convince the opposition, which asked for the resignation of those responsible for this error.
In the call, Meloni also addresses the migration challenge and explains that for a while Europe "thought that the problem could be solved by limiting it to Italy, but what they don't understand is that it is impossible". "It's a stupid way of thinking", insists the premier, who believes that "the dimension of this phenomenon is such that it involves not only the EU, but in my opinion also the UN. The problem is that the others do not take care of it and agree that Italy must solve this problem alone".
The impostor Lexus, or Aleksei Stoliarov, told the Reuters agency that at least Meloni speaks his mind. "Unfortunately, not like her, many European politicians behave like some kind of robot and express the points of view of their own circles", he opined. He was the one who posed as the African leader, while his colleague Vovan listened.
