Italian PM regrets being deceived by Russian pranksters posing as African diplomats, with her remarks playing into the hands of the Kremlin

By James Kilner

1 November 2023 •

European leaders are tired of the war in Ukraine and want to broker a deal with the Kremlin to end it, Giorgia Meloni told pranksters posing as African diplomats.

The Italian prime minister believed she was speaking to a senior African Union official however she was on a call with two prolific Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus.

During the phone call she said European leaders wanted a “way out” of the 20-month war in Ukraine.

“I see that many are tired. To tell the truth, perhaps we are close to the moment when everyone will understand that we need a way out,” she said. “The problem is to find a way out that would be acceptable to both sides, not while violating international law.”

Ms Meloni’s remarks will play into the hands of the Kremlin which has counted on Kyiv’s Western allies growing fatigued by the war and reducing their support.

This week, Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, warned that the Kremlin was banking on the Gaza-Israel war diverting western support away from Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky has also begged the West not to give up on its support for Ukraine despite a disappointing counter-offensive that was backed by Nato forces which only managed to push back Russian forces by a dozen miles.

Ms Meloni’s office confirmed to The Telegraph that the recording of her telephone conversation with Russian pranksters was real and had taken place on Sept 18, ahead of meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“The prime minister regrets having been deceived,” it said.

In the 15-minute recording, released by Russian pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, Ms Meloni also complains that Italy has taken in 120,000 African migrants this year and that the rest of the EU does not care.