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Mario Draghi: »The horror of war is completely detached from words and telephone calls«
Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP POOL/EPA
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi has been sobered by diplomatic attempts to persuade Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.
"I'm starting to think that those who say it's pointless to talk to him, you're just wasting time are right," the prime minister said in an interview with the daily Corriere della Sera.
Draghi had called Putin before the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine and again afterwards.
“We had agreed to speak again a few days later.
And then came the horror of Bucha«, Draghi wrote in the Easter edition of the Italian daily.
He does not want to give up hope of a diplomatic way out and also wants to continue to support French President Emmanuel Macron, who negotiated with Putin several times and for a long time.
"But I have the impression that the horror of the war with all the carnage, with everything that is being done to children and women, is completely detached from the words and telephone calls," said the Italian head of government.
Draghi advocates arms deliveries
So far, Putin's goal has not been peace, "but the attempt to destroy the Ukrainian resistance and occupy the country," Draghi continued.
Draghi called the Ukrainian resistance "heroic" and described arms deliveries to Ukraine as "right".
Other European leaders also supported further arms sales to Ukraine.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) called on the member states of the European Union to quickly deliver more weapons if they could.
German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir called for an increase in arms deliveries in order to avert a global hunger crisis.
Russia would apparently attack and destroy agricultural infrastructure and supply chains in a targeted manner, according to the Green politician.
hpp/dpa