2023-11-01 19:01:00
Italy’s first minister Giorgia Meloni (REUTERS/Juan Medina)
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, was the victim of deception by Russian pranksters who, posing as an African leader, extracted information from her by telephone regarding the European position on Ukraine and on immigration matters.
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Russians Vovan and Lexus, who have deceived other Western politicians and celebrities for frank and unsuspecting comments, posted a 13-minute audio of the call online on Wednesday.
Meloni’s office regretted in a statement that it had been deceived by an “imposter” who posed as the head of the African Union Commission. The call took place on September 18, on the eve of meetings with African leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.
During an important part of the conversation, the supposed “African leader”, the impostor, asks the prime minister regarding the war in Ukraine following the Russian invasion and if she foresees an end.
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Meloni, speaking in English, said: “I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to tell the truth, on all sides. (We are) close to the moment where everyone understands that we need a way out.” “The problem is to find a way out that can be acceptable to both without destroying international law,” he added.
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The Russian comedy duo Vovan and Lexus made a prank call to Italian PM Giorgia Meloni pretending to be the head of the African Union.
In the call (confirmed as authentic by the Italian government) Meloni said that all her European colleagues are already… pic.twitter.com/ybad9AkoZv
— Crazy Ass Moments in Italian Politics ???????? (@CrazyItalianPol) November 1, 2023
Likewise, Meloni said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is proceeding but “it may not be going as expected” and “without changing the fate of the conflict.”
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“Everyone understands that this can really last for many years if we don’t find a solution. The problem is what is the acceptable solution for both without opening other conflicts… you know what I think regarding Libya,” he said.
The impostor also asks him what he thinks of the ideology of Ukrainian nationalism and its historical leader Stepan Bandera: “I think nationalism is a problem that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has,” he concluded.
Addressing Italy’s position as the first port of call for many migrants crossing the Mediterranean, Meloni was critical of the European management of the migration phenomenon.
”Europe has long believed that it might solve the problem by leaving Italy alone. They do not understand that it is impossible because the magnitude of this phenomenon involves, in my opinion, not only the EU (European Union) but the United Nations,” Meloni is heard saying.
And he adds: “But the problem is that others are not interested. They didn’t answer the phone when I called them. “Everyone agrees that Italy has to solve this problem alone and that is a very stupid position.”
Former Italian Prime Minister and leader of the Five Star Movement Giuseppe Conte (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)
The opposition criticized what it described as “amateurism” and “superficiality” of the government.
The former prime minister and leader of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, announced that he will ask the prime minister to give explanations before Parliament. “Meloni discussed our foreign policy and other sensitive issues with two Russian comedians. Very serious events arose,” he said.
For Senator Alessandro Alfieri, leader of the opposition Democratic Party in the Foreign Affairs Commission of Deputies, “in a delicate phase like this, of instability in the international framework, maximum caution is necessary when verifying the interlocutors with whom The Prime Minister speaks.” “There is not much to joke regarding,” declared Riccardo Magi (from the +Europe party), “those who should have guaranteed the security of our Prime Minister’s communications have exposed the country to serious danger, as well as ridicule.”
The Russian “comedians” are Lexus, alias Alexei Stolyarov, and Vovan, Vladimir Kuznetsov, and in the past they fooled other celebrities and politicians such as the president of Poland, Andrej Duda, posing as his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, or the Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The “comedians” have long been suspected of having ties to the Russian intelligence services.
Vladimir Kuznetsov and Aleksei Stolyarov, known as Vovan and Lexus, during an event in Saint Petersburg (REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)
Lexus said Meloni was at least someone willing to share her true opinions.
“Unfortunately, unlike her, many European politicians behave like some kind of programmed robots and express views that are only expressed in their own circles,” he told Archyde.com by phone. He was talking while Vovan was also listening to the call with Meloni, she explained.
Moloni’s office highlighted how “despite the provocations” the prime minister confirmed in the phone call “full support for Ukraine” and Italian policies to combat illegal immigration.
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