Italy has completed preparations of a new military aid package for Ukraine and plans to deliver it soon. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced this amid disagreements within the ruling coalition over further arms supplies to Kyiv.
As ANSA reports, the Italian foreign minister made the statement on October 26 while visiting the Montebello barracks in Milan, answering journalists' questions about the position of Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has opposed continuing military and financial support for Ukraine.
According to Tajani, the next military aid package is ready for dispatch. He stressed that the Italian government does not intend to abandon support for Kyiv.
“My position is well known: we are on Ukraine's side and will continue to help it as long as needed. The next military aid package is ready, and we will send it to Kyiv as soon as possible,” the minister said.
Tajani did not disclose the cost of the new package, the list of weapons, or the exact delivery date. There is no official announcement yet about the actual transfer of equipment or ammunition.
Salvini demanded a halt to arms shipments to Ukraine
The foreign minister's statement came in response to the speech by another deputy prime minister of Italy, Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.
On October 25, at an extraordinary congress of the League party in Milan, Salvini announced that he intends to raise before the Council of Ministers the issue of halting military and financial assistance to Ukraine.
“We cannot continue sending money and weapons to Ukraine,” the politician said, urging party members to support his position.
On the same day, Salvini was re-elected as the leader of the League for another four-year term—until 2030. He received 465 delegate votes, while his rival, former Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia, got 146 votes.
Thus, Salvini retained leadership of one of the parties in the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, despite disagreements within the League itself over the further political course.
As ANSA notes, the moderate wing of the party criticizes its further shift to the right. The day after the congress, MP Simonetta Matone announced her departure from the League and her move to Tajani's party, Forward Italy, citing disagreement with the leadership's political direction.
Meloni tries to avoid a split over aid to Kyiv
Contradictions over Ukraine have affected relations between Salvini and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who consistently supports continuing aid to Kyiv.
According to Rai News and La Repubblica, during the party congress the prime minister contacted Salvini by phone and expressed dissatisfaction with his intention to seek an immediate halt to arms supplies.
According to Italian media, Meloni made it clear that such unilateral initiatives could complicate relations within the coalition and weaken the government's position on the international stage.
After the conversation, Salvini softened his public statements somewhat. La Repubblica sources claim that he does not plan to bring the issue of ending aid to the next meeting of the Council of Ministers.
However, the spat may flare up again at the end of the year. The current authorization for Italy to transfer military aid to Ukraine runs until December 31, 2026. Continuing supplies in 2027 will require an extension of the relevant legal mechanism.
According to Rai News, Salvini's party intends to oppose a new decision to extend aid, even if the government proposes an adjusted version with a greater emphasis on civilian support. Meloni's Brothers of Italy and Tajani's Forward Italy, on the contrary, favor maintaining the current course.
Which weapons Italy is preparing for Ukraine
The issue of a new aid package has been discussed in Rome for several months. As early as August 24, Tajani announced the preparation of the next deliveries following talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha.
In late August, La Repubblica wrote that Italy is developing the thirteenth military aid package, which may include new-generation SAMP/T surface-to-air missile systems, Aster interceptor missiles, and radar systems.
At the time, Tajani confirmed that the Ministry of Defense was working on a new package, which must undergo the established review procedure by the parliamentary committee for control of intelligence services (COPASIR) before being sent.
This procedure allows the government not to publicly disclose the detailed composition of military supplies. Much of the information about Italian aid to Ukraine has remained confidential since 2022.
On October 18, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the BBC in an interview that the new aid package to Ukraine is likely to be delivered by the end of 2026.
Now Tajani's announcement signals that preparations for the delivery are moving forward: if earlier Italian officials spoke about working on the package and the possible timing of its transfer, on October 26 the foreign minister declared its readiness.
However, it is officially unconfirmed that the completed package includes the SAMP/T systems, Aster missiles or other systems previously reported by Italian media.
Rome advocates negotiations without Ukraine's defeat
In addition to military aid, Tajani commented on the prospects for a diplomatic settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
According to La Repubblica, the minister expressed hope for organizing a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He suggested that representatives of the United States and European countries could participate in such negotiations.
The Italian foreign minister stressed that the goal of diplomatic efforts should be a just peace, not an agreement meaning Ukraine's defeat.
Thus, the Italian government for the time being is maintaining its course of continuing military support for Kyiv, despite objections from one of its coalition partners. The next practical step should be the dispatch of the prepared package, while the question of continuing supplies in 2027 remains open.
