The lower house of Italy's parliament gave final approval to a one-year extension of military aid to Ukraine on Feb. 8. The extension has already been passed by Italy's senate.
The Italian government proposed extending the aid through 2024 last December. Assistance from European countries is ever more crucial now as additional funding from the U.S., the leading military donor, remains stalled by political infighting.
"Once again, Italy has chosen to be on the side of the freedom of nations and respect for international law, with the aim of reaching, in line with the position taken by NATO and EU allies, a just and lasting peace," said Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto after the cabinet approved the measure in December 2023.
The Italian ANSA news agency reported that the 218 members of the lower house approved the extension, which stipulates that military aid will continue until the end of 2024, out of a total of 400 representatives.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), which tracks international aid for Ukraine, Italy has committed a total of 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in financial assistance to Ukraine as of October 2023.
The figure includes almost 700 million euros ($754 million) in military aid.
Nate Ostiller
