Overview
- Deputy foreign minister Edmondo Cirielli says he met Ambassador Aleksej Paramonov on 3 February at the Foreign Ministry with officials present and a formal note drafted.
- Foreign minister Antonio Tajani calls the controversy "useless," describing such contacts as routine since diplomatic ties with Russia remain, and says the meeting restated Italy’s position on Ukraine.
- Cirielli insists the ministry was informed and that he acted on behalf of the government, adding this was not his first contact with the Russian envoy.
- Media accounts conflict over who knew in advance, with Corriere della Sera reporting that Giorgia Meloni learned late and was "amareggiata" and that the presidency was unaware, claims Cirielli rejects.
- Opposition figures from PD, +Europa, Azione and Italia Viva have lodged parliamentary interrogations and called for Cirielli to step down, while Corriere reports Ukrainian diplomats in Rome were not notified and sent the dossier to Kyiv.