Jo McKenna: Italy Correspondent on the offer of another SAT air defence system for Ukraine

Italy has committed to giving more help to Ukraine. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that they will be giving them another SAT Air Defence System to shoot down Russian missiles. 

This follows on from NATO beginning to send the long-promised F-16 jets to Ukraine. 

Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna told Andrew Dickens that while Meloni has been critical of the European Union from time to time, her support for NATO and Ukraine has been very solid. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joe McKenna joins us. Hello, Joe, good morning, Andrew sweating
in Italy. But we'll talk about the weather late later
because I hear it's bad or good, depending on what
you like. But Italy has committed more help for Ukraine.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yes, the Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Maloney is at the
NATO's summit in Washington. Now. She's been critical of the
European Union from time to time. She is of the
right wing persuasion, but her support for NATO and Ukraine
has been very solid. And she's announced that Italy will
be giving another samp Te air defense system to shoot

(00:36):
down Russian missiles. And that follows, of course, what we've
heard about NATO beginning to send the long promist F
sixteen jets to Ukraine as well.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Indeed as well. Zelenski has asked everybody to pitch in
having they all thirty two nations, and we've seen always
done it, We've seen the States have done it, and
now Italy has done it, and well done, thank you
so very very much. Controversially, Beerlasconi a rather controversial figure
in Italian politics. It's getting an airport named after him.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
That's right. It's a year after he died, and there's
been a political fuor because you have to remember that
Silvio Belisconi, three time prime minister, was convicted of tax
evasion and his colleague, Transport Minister Matteo Slovini from the
right wing League Party is pushing him his name forward
to be the name of Milan's currently called Malpensa airport.

(01:35):
But you have to remember Rome Airport is named after
Leo Leonardo da Vinci, Venice is named after the explorer
Marco Polo, and Palermo Airport is named after two judges,
Falcone and Borslino, who were assassinated by the mafia because
of their efforts to fight the mafia. So you know,
it's a big call to put Silvio Belusconi in the

(01:57):
same league as some of these names.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Thought for Milan that you'd name the airport after a
football player, wouldn't you, since they've got two amazing football
sides up there. Or you do it after a fashion
designer since of course they believe they are the height
of fashion, don't they. So you know, but spotted in.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
And of course Sylvio Berlas going he owned one of
the Milan football teams, so there's even more reason to
name it after a football player.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
Well he made some good telly for a little while anyway,
so there we go. Meanwhile, we mentioned how hot it's
hot everywhere, but how hot is it in Italy?

Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yeah, well this is part of the heat wave sweeping Europe.
We've had about thirty seven degrees today in Rome. It's
going up to thirty eight tomorrow. The Health Ministry has
issued a red alert heat wave warning for seven Italian
cities for tomorrow, and that includes Turin, Rome and Trieste
in the north. And this has been driven by an

(02:52):
African anti cyclone bringing these scorching temperatures across the Mediterranean.
And even though it's going to drop off it on Saturday,
I think we're going to see more of this kind
of weather in the coming weeks.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Do you like it?

Speaker 2 (03:06):
I like a bit of it, But this is extreme
today and I haven't got aircorn in my house, so
it's a little hot in here.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, no one does in Europe. So the truth, because
we've got New Zealanders coming over for the summer season,
go and do your stuff earlier in the morning because
otherwise it's just too hot.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
A great idea. And then you can party late at night.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Very good stuff and I thank you so much. Joe mecanna,
thanks Andrew for more from the mic Asking Breakfast. Listen
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