Russia’s security threat is ‘far-reaching’, warns Italian PM Meloni

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has dubbed Russia a country with far-reaching threats.

The statement was made during her visit to Finland, where she met Finnish PM Petteri Orpo, Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson, Greek PM Kiriakos Mitsotakis, as well as the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kalla to discuss security challenges in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and migration challenges in Southern Europe, Reuters reports.

“We must understand that the threat is much wider than we perceive,” Meloni said during a press conference in response to Russia’s conduct.

According to Meloni, Moscow poses a threat to EU security and will continue doing that even once the Russo-Ukraine war is over. This is why Europe must be prepared for challenges such as illegal immigration, which Russia uses to destabilize the Union.

Italy is among the EU states that suffer most from illegal boat crossing.

“Tackling the issue of illegal immigration solely as a solidarity-based debate was a mistake,” she said. “The result is that we have been unable to protect our borders … We want to defend our external borders, and we will not allow Russia or criminal organizations to undermine our security.”

She made it clear that the EU needs to reassess the burden-sharing approach to addressing immigration issues.

Meanwhile, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo added that for Finland, alongside other EU members, and NATO allies, securing his country’s 1,340-kilometer border with Russia is an “existential” matter.