ATHENS

The Italian defense minister said that the time has come to find a political solution to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, local media reported on Saturday.

"The war has been going on for almost two years now and I think that, alongside and in parallel with military engagement and support for Ukraine, it is important to take paths that lead to a political solution," Guido Crosetto said in his visit to the Italian troops deployed in Poland, according to the state-run ANSA news agency.

"What cannot be achieved militarily - and up to now we have achieved the preservation of Ukraine, which could have been wiped out, and the consolidation of a border that blocked the Russian attack - can be achieved by opening a diplomatic and political front to try to achieve the same result through peace talks,” Crosetto added.

Stressing that the pre-war status quo should be restored, the defense minister said: “What could not be done with weapons must be done in another way."