Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said that Rome is ready to discuss the situation with the Crimea. In response to journalists' question about the status of the peninsula, Salvini said he does not want to take the job away from the foreign minister, but he will consider all the issues, reports Il Giornale. He stressed that Rome is open for dialogue with Moscow. The politician added that perhaps Italy will impose a veto in the Council of the European Union on the extension of sanctions related to the reunification of the Crimea with Russia. The meeting of the council will be held on June 23. According to Salvini, the threat from Moscow is imaginary, and the real danger for NATO is North Africa. The crisis in Ukraine, which began in 2014, caused the deterioration of relations between Moscow and Brussels. The United States and the European Union accused Russia of violating international law and imposed restrictive measures against it after Crimea was reunited with Russia. Member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Sergei Tsekov, commented on Salvini's replica to the Federal News Agency. "Undoubtedly, this statement can only be welcomed, this is a positive moment. The more European countries will talk about the actual status of the Crimea as a subject of the Russian Federation, the better, "- said the senator. At the same time, Tsekov believes that it is unlikely that Europe will recognize the reunification of the Crimea with Russia as a whole.

The politician noted that in the EU there is no unity in relation to the Russian Federation - 5 countries are guided by US policy and are violent Russophobes: these are the three Baltic republics, Poland and Romania. "Other states understand that de facto and de jure the Crimea is part of the Russian Federation. They also have an understanding that the reunion happened forever. It is aware of the leadership of even those countries that will persist in this matter until the end ". - Tsekov emphasized.