Diplomatic tensions rose after a Russian TV host hurled vulgar insults at Italy’s leader. Rome said it would lodge a formal protest.
Today, the Russian ambassador to Rome was summoned to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs after Russian television host Vladimir Solovyov insulted Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a live broadcast.
According to Italy’s official diplomatic service, this information was confirmed by the country’s diplomatic channels.
“I summoned the Russian ambassador Paramonov to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express an official protest in connection with the extremely serious and insulting statements by Russian television host Vladimir Solovyov regarding the Prime Minister of Georgia Meloni, with whom I express my full solidarity and closeness”
– Antonio Tajani
Reaction and consequences
The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, also sent Meloni a letter of solidarity, expressing his outrage at the Russian host’s vulgar remarks.
Earlier, a well-known Putin propagandist on a television broadcast spoke vulgarly in Italian, calling the Italian Prime Minister “a fascist, a certified idiot, a bad woman”.
“calling the Prime Minister of Italy ‘a fascist, a certified idiot, a bad woman’.”
– Vladimir Solovyov
Such statements emphasize the principles of respect for international partners and accountability for public rhetoric in diplomatic discussions, underscoring the need to uphold ethics in public appearances and to maintain respect in international relations.