Concern Italy's new ambassador to Moscow could be too pro-Russian

 ROME - On Thursday, the Council of Ministers ratified the appointment of Stefano Beltrame as Italy’s new ambassador to Moscow, writes Il Fatto Quotidiano. He will be the one managing relations with Vladimir Putin. A weighty appointment, politically speaking as it signals a new attitude from Italy toward Vladimir Putin’s Russia, aligning more closely with that of the White House.

 But Beltrame is not a random choice: he was Matteo Salvini’s diplomatic advisor when Salvini was Interior Minister in the first Conte government, and he took part in the mission to Russia in October 2018, the one that brought Lega advisers to the Hotel Metropol, which triggered both political and initial judicial controversy. That investigation, however, ultimately led nowhere, partly due to Moscow’s lack of cooperation with the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office on international legal requests.

 Although a seasoned diplomat and expert on Asia, Beltrame is considered to be politically close to the Lega: in addition to his experience with Salvini, he also served as diplomatic advisor to Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto Region, and most recently to Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti. His promotion to the rank of ambassador came only earlier this year, but he was previously overlooked for the post in Buenos Aires during the first round of diplomatic reshuffling in 2025. Reportedly, both Salvini and especially Giorgetti stepped in to secure his appointment to Russia.

 This appointment comes exactly a year after the selection of Cecilia Piccioni, a close ally of Antonio Tajani, as ambassador to Moscow. Piccioni will now return to Rome to take on a prominent role beside the Foreign Minister: she will lead the General Directorate for Political Affairs (DGAP) and, under the new reform of the Foreign Ministry (approved on Thursday by the Council of Ministers), she will also become Deputy Secretary General, the second-in-command after Riccardo Guariglia.

 Beltrame’s appointment is a clear signal of rapprochement and willingness to open dialogue with Moscow, but more importantly, it aligns with the new international direction pushed by Trump, who is advocating for Putin and Zelensky to sit at the same negotiating table.

 Beltrame, originally from Verona, was also the one who organized Salvini’s 2019 trip to Washington to meet with then–Vice President Mike Pence, a loyal Trump ally who later became a political enemy after the January 6th Capitol Hill attack in 2021.

 The decision to promote Giorgetti’s diplomatic advisor to Moscow was made by Antonio Tajani, in agreement with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Beltrame will now face a delicate situation for Italian businesses in Russia, especially if, as expected, the EU soon passes the 19th sanctions package, which could create serious issues for Italian companies operating there.

 Despite this, Italy supports the new sanctions package, as Tajani reiterated yesterday at a press conference: Rome views it as a necessary tool to pressure Putin and push him to negotiate with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky as soon as possible. Beltrame’s primary mission will be to protect Italian business interests.

 Back in May, it was Piccioni who witnessed an internal clash within the government between Tajani and Giorgetti over the Unicredit case. The Economy Minister argued that the bank’s exit from Russia had to comply with golden power regulations, while the Foreign Minister believed the exit conditions needed to be revised.

 Piccioni will now lead the new Directorate, which until recently was headed by Pasquale Ferrara, who, after retiring, signed the appeal by 34 former ambassadors calling on Italy to recognize the State of Palestine, a move that seriously irritated both Palazzo Chigi and the Foreign Ministry itself.

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