ROME - Russian President Vladimir Putin met Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at Expo in Milan on Wednesday, describing Italy as a “great partner of Russia in Europe.” Later in the day, Putin met the Pope and also the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. It has been rumoured that he ended his visit by meeting former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

  Putin’s Italian sojourn came at a particularly precarious time for Russian-Western relations, with the EU having sanctioned Russia for the on-going Ukrainian crisis. Russia’s Minister for Economic Development Alexiei Uliukaiev has made it clear that if such measures continue, Russia will follow suit with their own restrictions on the European Union. The Russian President warned that if the sanctions on Russia aren’t retracted, Italian businesses could stand to lose contracts worth a billion euros.

 Putin added that his country “could find other trading partners, but it would be a shame to lose the relationship with Italy.” He confirmed that whilst Italy is Russia’s fourth largest trading partner, trade between the countries has fallen by 10% in recent times. Despite this fact, Russia’s investments in Italy are still worth between 2 and 3 billion euros.  

 Renzi, however, whilst not dismissing the tensions felt between the West and Russia, chose to emphasise the importance of unity in the fight against international threats such as terrorism. The Italian leader emphasised the need for countries to set aside their differences and work together to secure a safer future.

"We are living in a difficult international framework, due to issues that we are not united on, but which will have to see us increasingly on the same side, starting from the threat of global terrorism," said Renzi.    

 On Tuesday, a group of around 50 protestors had campaigned in Milan against the visit of Putin. However, as has been the case throughout the opening of Expo, particularly rigorous security measures were adopted in advance of the Russian President’s trip, with many areas off limits to the general public.