Italy summons Russian ambassador after pro-Kremlin TV host insults Meloni
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Italy has summoned Russia's ambassador to protest remarks by a pro-Kremlin television host who insulted Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said April 21.
"I had the Russian ambassador... summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express formal protests following the extremely serious and offensive statements made by the host Vladimir Solovyev on Russian television," Tajani said on X.
According to Italian media reports, Solovyov — a pro-Kremlin TV presenter and propagandist who is under Western sanctions for his overt support of Russia's war in Ukraine — delivered a series of insults about Meloni during a broadcast.
Speaking in Italian, he allegedly called her a "disgrace to the human race," a "wild beast," a "certified idiot," and a "nasty little woman."
Solovyov went on to describe Meloni as a "fascist creature" who had betrayed her voters and "even betrayed Trump," referring to tensions between the Italian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Meloni, once a close ally of Trump, has recently fallen out of favor with him after distancing herself from U.S. policy on Iran and publicly criticizing remarks he made about Pope Leo.
The Italian prime minister responded in a social media post, dismissing Solovyov's remarks and accusations of betrayal.
"By its very nature, a diligent regime propagandist cannot give lessons in either consistency or freedom," she wrote.
"But these caricatures certainly won't make us change course," she added.
"We, unlike others, have no strings, no masters, and take no orders. Our compass remains one and only: the interest of Italy. And we will continue to follow it with pride, much to the chagrin of propagandists far and wide."
