Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said allies should start work on negotiations toward a long-lasting peace process in Ukraine, even as they continue to sanction Russia over its invasion of the country.
“People are asking, how can we end those atrocities? How can we reach a cease fire? At the moment it is hard to have answers to that, but we need to think carefully about those questions,” Draghi told President Joe Biden during a meeting at the White House Tuesday. He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed at damaging the U.S. alliance with Europe.
Biden told Draghi that Italy has been one of the U.S.’s closest allies in confronting the Kremlin. “If Putin ever thought he could divide us, he failed,” Draghi said.
Draghi’s remarks follow skepticism from some of his coalition government parties about the impact of the war on Italy’s economy and on the military support offered to Ukraine.
Biden and Draghi met to to discuss the war and to coordinate their response to Russia’s invasion. It’s the first visit to Washington by a European Union leader since combat broke out in Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Drastic changes
Draghi, who has called for stronger EU coordination on defense and foreign policy, warned Tuesday that the war would bring “drastic” change to Europe.
Despite Italy’s reliance on Russian energy, Draghi has pushed for the EU to sanction Russian oil imports. He has also backed sending heavy weapons to Ukraine despite resistance in his broad coalition government.
During their meeting, Biden told Draghi that the U.S. is ready to increase its oil production if that won’t affect clean energy goals, according to remarks shared by Italian officials.
The U.S. and the EU in March announced a plan to supply least 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas to the bloc this year to support its cutoff of Russian energy.
Italy and the US also have cooperated on the seizure of Russian oligarchs’ assets.
Italy has frozen about 1 billion euros of assets including yachts and villas with the help of U.S. intelligence, according to people familiar with the matter. They asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Last week, Italian authorities ordered the Scheherazade superyacht held in a Tuscan port, saying it’s linked to top levels of the Russian government that are the subject of EU sanctions.
Draghi’s meeting with Biden seals Italy’s shift to a pro-Atlantic foreign policy that began when the former European Central Bank chief was appointed prime minister in 2021 and accelerated with the start of the war in Ukraine.
Draghi and Biden last met in person in October at a Group of 20 meeting in Rome. They’re both scheduled to attend the Group of Seven and NATO summits in June.
Draghi will meet Wednesday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the U.S. Capitol, before receiving the Atlantic Council’s distinguished leadership award that evening.
