Italy PM Mario Draghi discusses Ukraine situation, bilateral ties with Russia's Putin

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi had a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and the two leaders discussed the latest developments in Ukraine and bilateral relations between the two countries. Draghi emphasised the necessity of working toward de-escalation of tensions, citing the grave consequences of a worsening of the situation in Ukraine.

The leaders also shared commitment that was made to find a long-term solution to the situation and to rebuild a climate of trust. In the meanwhile, Kremlin also stated that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, underlined Russia's resolve to maintain natural gas supplies to Italy stable during a phone chat with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Several subjects on the bilateral agenda were discussed

During the conversation, the construction of legally obligatory long-term security assurances for the Russian Federation was also explored, according to Kremlin. Vladimir Putin described Russia's important methods in this regard, emphasising the necessity of adhering to the fundamental principle of security indivisibility, as stated in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) papers signed at the highest level. Several subjects on the bilateral agenda were discussed, mainly those related to trade and economic relations, as well as energy.

Vladimir Putin expressed satisfaction with the conclusion of his recent videoconference meeting with senior Italian businesses and emphasised Russia's readiness to continue ensuring a stable supply of Russian natural gas to Italy.

Last week Putin stated that Russia considered Italy to be one of their most important economic partners. He further stated that Italy stands third among European Union member-states in terms of turnover with Russia. Italian enterprises have invested about $5 billion in the Russian economy, whereas Russian investments in Italy are expected to be around $3 billion, according to TASS. The Russian-Italian investment platform, which was established with the participation of the Russian Direct Investment Fund to fund significant capital-intensive joint projects, is running efficiently.

Anthony Blinken and Serghei Lavrov to engage in conversation

Further, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov will engage in a phone conversation later today, according to Ansa. President Putin was also scheduled to have a conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson but that did not happen.