Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, criticized since the Russian invasion of Ukraine for his links with Vladimir Putin's party, was sharply reframed on Tuesday after controversial statements on the death of Alexeï Navalny.
Customary of polemical remarks, the sovereignist and anti-immigration leader of La Ligue estimated on Tuesday on the radio that if it is legitimate to want to
“shed light”
on the death of the Russian opponent in a prison in the Arctic,
“it’s up to Russian doctors and judges
. ”
Since his death, announced on February 16, Alexeï Navalny's mother and a lawyer have sought access to his remains.
But, according to the opponent's team, Russian investigators affirmed that they would not return his body for at least 14 days for the purposes of
"expertise"
.
“The judgment of the magistrates of a dictatorship has no value”
Questioned Tuesday in Brussels during a press briefing on Salvini's remarks, the spokesperson for the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, recalled that the member states of the European Union had adopted a joint declaration attributing responsibility for Navalny's death
"to President Putin and the Russian authorities"
.
“It is a declaration approved by Italy”
, recalled Peter Stano, advising
“members of governments to simply read what their governments approve and adopt”
.
In Italy too, reactions were strong.
“The judgment of the magistrates of a dictatorship has no value
,” retorted on X the boss of the centrist Azione party, Carlo Calenda.
“Enough is enough
,” he added, announcing that he would ask his lawyers to study
“the League’s links with Russia
. ”
Still
on
_ sanctions against Moscow after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
“This is who Salvini is
,” she commented.
Other publications resurface, showing Matteo Salvini in front of the Kremlin or in the European Parliament wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of the Russian president.
Giorgia Meloni's deputy prime minister has always denied receiving money from United Russia or other Russian sources, without always convincing his adversaries.
If Salvini does not produce a document proving that he has severed his ties with United Russia, Carlo Calenda threatens to file a motion of no confidence against him.
“A minister of the Republic cannot be a political partner of a murderous and imperialist dictator
,” he denounced.