Salvini Clashes With Gruber on La7, Downplays Vannacci Split and Defends Train Punctuality

Overview

• During the televised interview on Otto e mezzo, Matteo Salvini displayed charts claiming regional trains were on time about 90% of the time in 2024–25.
• Pressed by Lilli Gruber to apologize for severe delays, he declined and replied, "You must be unlucky," while pointing to 10,000 daily trains and record passenger volumes.
• On Roberto Vannacci’s new party Futuro Nazionale, Salvini minimized its impact, saying it polls below figures like Matteo Renzi and Carlo Calenda.
• He said he does not expect Giorgia Meloni or Antonio Tajani to accept Vannacci as an interlocutor within the governing majority.
• On the Ukraine war, Salvini said President Zelensky faces "a defeat or a rout" and described himself as pro-peace, as journalists challenged his stance and invoked Vannacci’s references to fascist-era symbols.