While the American President is still fighting off allegations suggesting he colluded with the Russian Government to win the 2016 elections, Russia finds itself entangled in yet another international election conspiracy. This time it involves the Italian Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, who has been accused of secretly funding his populist party (League Party) with Russian oil money.
In October 2018, a meeting was allegedly held in Moscow’s luxurious Hotel Metropol, “to discuss plans for a great alliance.” However, since these accusations became public, Matteo Salvino has forcefully denied that there was any such meeting or that he received any such funds.
‘‘I never took a Ruble, a Euro, a Dollar or a litre of Vodka in funds from Russia,” he declared.
Evidence of Colluding with Russia
Contrary to the Interior Minister’s claims, Buzzfeed has released an audio recording of the Metropol meeting in which a close aide of Matteo Salvini, known as Gianluca Savoini, and five other men, can be heard negotiating the terms of a deal to covertly channel tens of millions of Dollars of Russian oil money to Salvini’s far-right party in order to sustain his campaign.
A transcript of the audio quoted Savoini to have begun the meeting thus:
“We want to change Europe. A new Europe has to be close to Russia as before because we want to have our sovereignty. We want to really decide for our future, Italians, for our children, for our sons. Not depending on the decision of illuminates [the enlightened] of Brussels, of USA. We want to decide. Salvini is the first man that wants to change all of Europe. Together, our allies and colleagues and other parties in Europe. Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs in Austria, German Alternative für Deutschland, France Madame Le Pen and other countries the same, Hungaria with Orban, in Sweden Sverigedemokraterna. We have our allies. We really want to begin to have a great alliance with these parties that are pro Russia, but not pro-Russia for Russia but for our countries.”
Though it remains unclear whether the conversation at Hotel Metropol translated to action or if Salving received any money from Russia, the existence of the recording has raised pertinent questions about the integrity of the European elections which held in May. In the election, Mr Salvini won in a landslide victory but now, politician’s are doubtful.
In a nutshell, this appears to be another one of Putin’s efforts to destabilise the European Union by openly and covertly supporting nationalists and populists in elections throughout the region. This also solidifies suspicions on Russia’s effort in meddling in European elections and politics, something they have been accused of doing with the US since 2016.
While no real action has been taken, prosecutors in Milan have opened an inquiry into possible charges of international corruption.
