Giada Zampano
25 June 2025•Update: 25 June 2025
ROME
Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday urged NATO leaders to use the same determination shown to seek a deal in the Israel-Iran conflict to reach two other ceasefires, in Ukraine and Gaza.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the NATO summit in La Hague, Meloni said she spoke with US President Donald Trump about the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
“Our goal is an agreement,” she said. “And the same determination is needed to reach two other ceasefires: in Ukraine, where Russia has no intention of moving forward … and in Gaza, where the situation is unsustainable.”
The Italian premier stressed that all the other leaders realized how easier would be now to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
“I think everyone understands that this is the moment in which a ceasefire can be achieved in Gaza and Italy is fully committed to this objective,” Meloni said.
She added that Italy also brought the focus at the summit on the southern flank of the defense alliance.
“I tried to explain to colleagues the threats. We see Russia increasingly projecting itself into the Mediterranean,” after losing ground in Syria, Meloni said. “The world is changing and defense is changing too.”
At the summit, NATO leaders reiterated their continued support for Ukraine, its self-defense and its defense industry, and the maintenance of pressure on Russia through new sanctions.
NATO members also agreed to ramp up their defense spending and restated their commitment to protect each other from attack.
In its final statement, NATO endorsed a higher defense spending goal of 5% of national outputs by 2035 – a response to demands from Trump and to Europeans’ fears that Russia may pose a growing threat to their security.
