Luigi Di Maio accused the 5 Star Movement of playing into the Russian leader’s hands by jeopardizing Italian arms supplies to Ukraine after the party quit the prime minister’s coalition. The former 5 Star leader, who quit the party a month ago in a row over the war in Ukraine, urged Italian politicians to back Mr Draghi in a crucial confidence vote on Wednesday and save a hardline leader with Moscow. “The Russians are currently celebrating that they have brought down another Western government,” Mr. Di Maio told Politico Europe, “Now I doubt we can send weapons. [to Ukraine]. It is one of many serious problems.” The populist 5 Star Movement boycotted a vote of confidence last Thursday. Mr Draghi submitted his resignation but was rejected by President Sergio Mattarella. Mr Draghi, the former president of the European Central Bank, was persuaded to delay his resignation until a vote of confidence on Wednesday as Italy was mired in political crisis. “The incredible thing is that a former prime minister is attacking Draghi, helping Putin’s propaganda and autocracy in democracy,” Di Maio said, referring to 5-Star leader Giuseppe Conte. He warned that if the vote of confidence did not secure Mr Draghi’s position, Italy would be forced to run an interim government, which would have limited powers. That risked preventing Rome from continuing to arm Ukraine or sign new energy deals to build up reserves should Moscow cut off gas supplies, he said. Dmitry Medvedev had been clamoring for Mr Draghi’s possible downfall. Russia’s former president suggested more pro-Ukraine leaders after Boris Johnson and Mr Draghi could soon be forced from power. “It makes my heart cry to see that on the other side of the world, in Moscow, in a dictatorship, there is Medvedev celebrating because one of the strongest democracies in the world, Italy, has been weakened to such an extent.” Mr Di Maio told Italian television. “We are being addressed for our conduct, Draghi for his,” Mr Conte said on Friday. Since winning 33 percent of the vote in the last national election in 2018, the 5-Star Movement has participated in three governments, but has lost half its lawmakers to rival groups and seen its popular support drop by about two-thirds. Mr Conte’s pitch, which plunged Italian politics into turmoil, was that the prime minister needed to do more to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and social problems in the eurozone’s third-largest economy. Mr Draghi has played a major role in EU sanctions against Moscow and argued for Ukraine to be given candidate status to join the bloc. His allies point to his experience during the financial crisis of rescuing the euro as a reason why he should be persuaded to stay on to tackle the cost of living crisis. While some parties are desperate for ‘Super Mario’ and his technocratic government to survive, hard-right parties such as the Brothers of Italy have called for elections. Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Italy’s Brotherhood, is now expected to become the country’s first female prime minister if elections scheduled for next year are moved to the autumn. Ms Meloni supports sending arms and aid to Ukraine, despite previously congratulating Mr Putin on his 2018 election victory. The Brothers of Italy, which is the modern heir to Italy’s fascist movement, is the largest and most popular of a coalition of right-wing parties. Ms Meloni could form an alliance with former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini, the leader of the anti-immigration League party, to lead. Mr Salvini has faced criticism for his effusive praise of Putin and controversy over the war in Ukraine.
