ISTANBUL
Italian Cabinet ministers are on “advanced alert” over rising oil prices due to the war in the Middle East, the ANSA news agency reported Wednesday.
Several government sources told ANSA that the officials were put on alert ahead of a Cabinet meeting scheduled for later Wednesday, following a morning meeting attended by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, and Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto.
The meeting reportedly focused on fuel.
"I think we need to get below €1.90 ($2.19) per liter, not just below €2, obviously for diesel, so at least 20 or 25 euro cents (less) per liter," Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said before meeting with oil companies in Milan.
He said several proposals were put forward such as a "price cap, an intervention on excise duties, and also a discussion in Brussels on other forms of taxation ... and the Green Deal, which is truly suicidal right now," referring to a European Commission strategy to get the EU to zero net greenhouse gas emission by 2050.
Asked about the possibility of discussing a review of the Russian gas blockade in the Cabinet, Salvini said they must address "one thing at a time."
"I remain convinced that if it's not today, it will be next week or in a month, but reopening a dialogue with Russia is a must," he said.
"The United States is doing it. Right now, the United States has suspended sanctions on those who buy gas and oil from Russia, so the United States is gaining, China is gaining, Russia is gaining. The only ones losing are us, and so I hope someone in Brussels wakes up," Salvini added.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, which has killed around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it said host US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
