Former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte assessed the conversation that took place between the head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni and Russian pranksters Vovan (Vladimir Kuznetsov) and Lexus (Alexey Stolyarov). According to Conte, that was a "failure of planetary proportions.”
Giuseppe Conte said that he was disappointed about the fact that government security protocols could be bypassed and hacked in such a blatant fashion.
"It was even more unacceptable to find out that our prime minister is talking about the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and describing it in terms completely opposite to those that she used the other day in parliament," Giuseppe Conte said.
The Italian government continues to supply weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine although Meloni considers negotiations the only way to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, he added.
The Russian pranksters called Meloni and introduced themselves as high-ranking African officials.
The recording of the prank call is available on the pranksters' Telegram channel.
During the conversation, the politician admitted that Western countries were tired of Ukraine. The counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not change anything, she added.
"To tell you the truth, we may be close to the point where everyone will understand that we need a way out. Yes, the problem is to find a solution that would be acceptable for both sides without violating international law," Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni said during the prank call.
According to Meloni, she has "some thoughts” about a way out of the Ukrainian crisis. However, she is waiting for the right moment to come to present her ideas.
A few hours after the release of the audio recording, responsibility for the incident was assigned to the diplomatic office headed by Francesco Talo, an adviser to the prime minister, Corriere della Sera said.
The prime minister's office also said that the conversation took place on September 18 in the context of a commitment to "strengthen relations with African leaders,” with whom Meloni met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly a few days after the call.