Moscow’s representative in Italy, Alexey Paramonov, on Wednesday lashed out against the Italian government, accusing it of blaming Russia for all the world’s problems when “the facts bear witness to the exact opposite.”
Italian outlets reported that Russian Ambassador Paramonov delivered a harsh speech highly critical of the Italian government and the European Union at Villa Abamelek, the official residence of the Russian ambassadors in Rome, during the official reception for June 12’s Russia Day national holiday.
Paramonov, without directly mentioning any government official, alluded to the Quirinal Palace and Italian President Sergio Mattarella. He complained that the Italian government “constantly” accuses Russia for being the “sole culprit” for the conflicts at Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa — a premise, that the ambassador affirmed, are “blatant falsehoods that do not correspond to the truth.”
“Here in Italy, from certain high-ranking hills in Rome, we are often accused: Russia is supposedly to blame for all the current problems in today’s world order, whether in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, or Africa. I can state with certainty that these accusations are absolutely untrue: they are a blatant falsehood,” Paramonov said during his speech, per ANSA. “The facts bear witness to the exact opposite.”
Italy’s Rai News reports that “hundreds of guests” attended the reception at the Russian ambassador’s residence. Italian government officials and prominent politicians reportedly boycotted the diplomatic reception to protest the Kremlin over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian ambassador lashed out against the E.U. leadership during his speech, accusing it of having “lost all trace of independence and reduced itself to the role of vassal and servant to the world’s powerful, acting to the detriment of its own people.”
He also condemned NATO, accusing it of having “unjustifiably” expanded its borders towards Eastern Europe and former Soviet territories — which, the diplomat reportedly affirmed, created “real threats that forced Moscow to take its destiny into its own hands to defend the national interest.”
Per Rai News, Ambassador Paramonov called for an “immediate change of course” from Western actors who, according to him, are “contemplating a new campaign toward the East,” citing 19th Century Germany’s “Drang nach Osten” territorial expansion pursuit. He also derided all attempts to “isolate” Russia from the world as failed, noting Moscow’s role at the United Nations, G20, BRICS, and other organizations that he described as the “cradle of a new multipolar world order based on the rejection of opposing blocs.”
Despite his criticisms and fierce content of his speech, Paramonov reportedly affirmed that Russia “remains open to dialogue and cooperation” with Italy and other Western governments — but on condition that Rome and its allies “must first renounce their hostile stance and cease any attempt to trample on the Federation’s legitimate interests.”
President Mattarella’s past remarks against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine have drawn the ire of Moscow. Last year, speaking at the University of Marseille, Mattarella referred to Russia as the “Third Reich.” Moscow condemned Mattarella at the time over his “blasphemous” remarks.
Ambassador Paramonov also found himself embroiled at a brief diplomatic quarrel between Russia and Italy in April after Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov delivered a series of insults against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Mattarella. The Italian goverment summoned Paramonov over the propagandist’s insults. Paramonov claimed that Solovyov’s remarks could not be attributed to the Russian government.