BRUSSELS

Italy's Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador on Monday after a Russian official linked the collapse of a historic tower in the capital to Rome's financial and military support for Ukraine, according to ANSA news agency.

The controversy erupted after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted on her Telegram channel that "as long as the Italian government continues to waste taxpayers' money on Ukraine, Italy will collapse entirely, from its economy to the towers."

Her comments referred to the collapse of the Torre dei Conti in central Rome, one of the city's symbolic medieval structures.

Zakharova also recalled that "in May this year, the Italian Foreign Ministry reported that Italian support to Ukraine, including military aid and contributions paid through EU mechanisms, amounts to approximately 2.5 billion euros."

The remarks triggered strong backlash in Rome. Italy's Foreign Ministry condemned the statement as "squalid" and said it confirmed "the depths of vulgarity into which Moscow's leadership has fallen."

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also denounced the remarks as "shameful" and "unacceptable in a civilized country."

"We cannot speculate on people still under the rubble and on injured workers. Whenever there has been a disaster that has struck the Russian Federation, we have always shown solidarity," he said.

European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno described the statement as "Kremlin propaganda," accusing Moscow of exploiting Italy's tragedy to spread disinformation.

Zakharova's comments came shortly after Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed Italy's continued support for Ukraine. Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Crosetto said Italy "continues to help Kyiv with what we can," and hinted at a forthcoming aid package "along the lines of previous ones."