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Marco Setaccioli challenged Marco Travaglio's calculations on European and Russian military spending, stating that Travaglio had indicated 450 billion euros for Europe and 150 for Russia and had argued that Russia had reason to fear Europe, which had invaded it four times in the last 200 years. According to Setaccioli, in the current year Russia would have spent around 17 trillion rubles on defense, equivalent to 181 billion euros, a figure indicated, according to him, by most analysts. He noted that the nominal comparison did not take purchasing power into account: applying indices developed by specialized research centers, Russian spending would rise to 574 billion international dollars, compared to about 700 billion for the entire EU. He added that the EU would have three and a half times the population of Russia and a GDP nine times greater. Setaccioli argued that the Russian federal budget did not show all military costs. He cited studies by economist Craig Kennedy, according to which part of the spending would be financed through subsidized loans and would thus remain on the banks' balance sheets. He also recalled an investigation by Dozhd', which, according to him, had documented pressures on private companies to hire people before signing contracts with the military and to supplement salaries with corporate funds. He added that at least three militias would be linked to Gazprom, which would cover part of the costs. For these reasons, he dismissed as false the claim that Russia spent less than the EU. Historically, Setaccioli criticized Travaglio's reconstruction, according to which the Napoleonic and Nazi invasions, along with interventions in Crimea and support for the Bolsheviks, would justify Russian fears toward Europe. Setaccioli listed Russian troop interventions in Poland in 1939, Finland in 1939-1940, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Romania in 1940, Bulgaria in 1944, Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968, Moldova in 1992, Georgia in 2008, and Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. He stated that there were no Russian regions occupied by European countries, while eight regions—one in Moldova, two in Georgia, and five in Ukraine—would be under Russian control. Finally, Setaccioli accused Travaglio of presenting a selective and misleading reconstruction to make Russia appear not dangerous, portray Europe as a threat, and argue that rearmament was unnecessary and risky. In his view, that reasoning could legitimize a potential Russian attack on Europe and constituted a form of collaborationism. #Russia #Europa #Difesa (translated)

We are in the square to support a social mobilization that today strongly raises two major issues: the high cost of living, which is destroying the prospects for well-being for Italian families and businesses, and the choices of a government that has favored policies of rearmament and supported the accumulation of great wealth, starting from the profits of energy companies. Thus spoke Angelo Bonelli, a member of Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra and co-spokesperson for Europa Verde, at the Cgil demonstration. #Lavoro #Pace #Welfare (translated)

Throughout Italy, thousands of students took to the streets to protest against the government, with demonstrations that included clashes with the police in Turin and messages against war and rearmament, culminating in events in Rome, Milan, and other cities. #StudentiInPiazza #MobilitazioneStudentesca #NoMeloniDay (translated)

It is right to sanction Putin, who is the aggressor, but Europe was not born to bet on military victories against a military superpower: instead of sending weapons indefinitely, we should send negotiators. The United States is making a fortune doing business with Putin: it is an irresponsible deal, while here we risk a world war at home. Conte adds: “This will lead to a division in Europe and revive dangerous nationalisms, rather we should commit to a European defense with joint investments and substantial savings in spending; that 800 billion for rearmament should be redirected towards growth, towards an Agency for artificial intelligence that provides rules and policies to train workers, towards a housing plan that guarantees young people the ability to stay, towards infrastructure that does not involve a bridge over the strait, towards a new Pnrr for renewable energies and healthcare.” #GiuseppeConte #ConsiglioEuropeo #Ucraina (translated)

Giuseppe Conte criticizes the government for its commitment to rearmament, arguing that military spending does not help the economy and calling for investment instead in health care and education, and condemns the agreement between Trump and Putin as irresponsible. #Trump #GuerraUcraina #Conte (translated)

In the post, the author wrote that Gentiloni's testimony raised questions about the authority that determined the European stance on war and rearmament. According to reports, the Treaties provided that it should be decided unanimously by the member countries, as was also the direction of NATO, but he added that in practice this was not the case. #Europa #Guerra #NATO #IT #EU #NATO (translated)

Vladislav Maistrouk wrote that, beyond opinions about Zelensky, Klitschko, rearmament, and controversies over golden toilets, over 3 million people were preparing to face another winter under difficult conditions. He said concrete gestures of solidarity would be needed to keep Kyiv warm and illuminated and urged to follow the updates. https://t.co/oyk67ihQpp #Kyiv #Umanità #Inverno (translated)

In the midst of an international crisis that drives the world towards rearmament, Italy cannot limit itself to training for nuclear war. It must adhere to the UN Treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons and demand the withdrawal of warheads from our territory. Security is built through disarmament and diplomacy, not by simulating the apocalypse over our heads," Bonelli reiterated. #Nato #SteadfastNoon #EsercitazioneNucleare (translated)

Marco Setaccioli argued that Giuseppe Conte was using an increasingly studied rhetorical scheme to attract conspiracy theorists, opponents of the Euro-Atlantic axis, and pacifists. In his opinion, the speech delivered the day before at a disarmament event organized by CGIL in Sesto Fiorentino, where figures Setaccioli described as close to Russia were present, attributed the responsibility for the war to the choices of the United States, the United Kingdom, and European countries, downplaying the Russian responsibility. According to Setaccioli, Conte also accused the West of prolonging the conflict by aiming for an impossible military victory, without mentioning Russia's attempt to erase Ukraine. The author stated that this stance created a moral equivalence between the aggressor and the victim and portrayed Ukrainians as lacking autonomy. He also contested the reference to reconstruction, arguing that without weapons to defend Ukrainian cities and borders, there would be no country left to rebuild. Setaccioli described the appeal to international law as contradictory because, in his view, Conte was calling for the cessation of arms shipments without explaining how this was compatible with Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He added that the speech did not indicate other means to stop the war, nor did it request commitments from Russia. Finally, Setaccioli maintained that this position was not progressive and compared Conte and Roberto Vannacci to those, in his view, who would have ceded the Sudetenland in 1938. He asked whether Elly Schlein believed that legitimizing the occupation in exchange for cheaper gas, disarming Ukraine, and accepting an order dominated by great powers could be reconciled with the Democratic Party. #Disarmo #Ucraina #Politica (translated)

The economist Mario Pianta warns that, in the face of the current peak in inflation, Europe is repeating the same mistakes of 2022, investing in military spending at the expense of welfare and suggesting the adoption of a maximum price for essential goods such as energy and fuels to mitigate the impoverishment of families. #Inflazione #Riarmo #Disuguaglianze (translated)

Papa Leone XIV afferma che il riarmo non porterà alla pace, evidenziando l'importanza del diritto e del multilateralismo per fermare la barbarie e affrontare le sfide globali, inclusi i conflitti e l'industria bellica, in un'intervista durante il suo viaggio in Francia. #Pace #DirittoInternazionale #NonViolenza

Papa Leone, al termine del suo viaggio in Francia, ha affermato che la destra radicale non rappresenta il cristianesimo e ha espresso preoccupazioni sull'uso dell'intelligenza artificiale e il riarmo, sottolineando l'importanza del dialogo e della pace nella società odierna. #PapaLeone #DestraRadicale #IntelligenzaArtificiale

1 g · Nucleare? Il governo Meloni calpesta due referendum Con l’approvazione della legge delega sul nucleare, il Governo sceglie di riportare l’Italia sulla strada dell’energia nucleare, riaprendo una discussione sulla quale il nostro Paese si è già espresso attraverso due referendum, nel 1987 e nel 2011. Noi siamo contrari a questa scelta perché il nucleare non rappresenta la risposta alla crisi energetica e climatica e destinare risorse pubbliche a nuovi impianti significa imboccare una strada costosa, lunga e piena di incognite. Il nucleare richiede infatti investimenti enormi e tempi molto lunghi, mentre l’esperienza dei grandi progetti realizzati negli ultimi anni dimostra come ritardi e aumenti dei costi possano incidere pesantemente sul conto finale. Nel frattempo, però, le bollette si pagano oggi. Non è quindi una risposta al caro energia che famiglie e lavoratori stanno affrontando già adesso pensare a impianti che, anche nella migliore delle ipotesi, produrrebbero energia soltanto tra molti anni. Restano inoltre aperte questioni fondamentali come la gestione dei rifiuti radioattivi, la sicurezza e i costi complessivi dell’intero ciclo nucleare. A queste si aggiunge la dimensione internazionale e militare del nucleare, che non può essere completamente separata dalle conoscenze, dalle tecnologie e dalle filiere legate all’energia atomica, soprattutto in un contesto internazionale segnato da guerre e riarmo. La legge delega affida inoltre al Governo la definizione, attraverso successivi decreti legislativi, di aspetti fondamentali di questa nuova stagione nucleare, su una scelta destinata a impegnare risorse pubbliche e a produrre conseguenze per decenni. La nostra contrarietà, però, non riguarda soltanto lo strumento: riguarda la scelta politica di tornare al nucleare. Di fronte al caro energia e alla crisi climatica, riteniamo necessario investire subito in una transizione fondata sulle rinnovabili, sull’efficienza energetica, sugli accumuli e sul rafforzamento delle reti. Non possiamo chiedere alle persone di aspettare decenni mentre continuano a pagare bollette sempre più pesanti. Il nucleare non è la risposta al caro energia: le bollette arrivano oggi e le risposte servono oggi. Davide Citton

Papa Leone XIV incontra il presidente francese Emmanuel Macron, sottolineando l'importanza del dialogo e della diversità in una società multietnica, mentre affronta temi controversi come la fine vita e il riarmo durante la sua visita a Parigi, la prima di un Pontefice in 18 anni. #PapaLeoneXIV #EmmanuelMacron #DialogoInterculturale