ALWAGHT- Italy has cautioned that escalating global conflict could occur if Ukraine’s Western allies persist in sending additional weapons to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government.
In an interview with an Italian media outlet, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini warned on Wednesday that supplying additional weapons to the Kiev government "could trigger World War III."
He stated that "sending weapons to strike and kill even within Russian territory would be disastrous, setting the stage for a dramatic global conflict."
Ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, Salvini emphasized that Rome will not approve any further arms shipments unless there is certainty that these weapons will not be used to attack within Russia.
Salvini added, "Such an incident could lead us directly toward World War III."
In early August, Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Russia, advancing up to 30 km into the Russian Kursk region.
Russian authorities reported that Ukraine attacked the Kerch bridge with two "unmanned surface vessels" (USVs), which are drones that operate on water rather than in the air.
They also claimed that Kiev used Western-made rockets to target a key bridge over the Seym River in the Kursk region, resulting in the deaths of volunteers who were evacuating civilians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed a strong response to the first invasion of Russian territory since World War II.
He has consistently cautioned that NATO members in Europe are playing with fire by allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike deep within Russia, a move he believes could ignite a global conflict.