Addressing parliament on Tuesday afternoon, Draghi said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showed peace in Europe could not be taken for granted.
“In recent decades, many people have believed that war would never again find space in Europe; that the horrors that characterised the 20th century were unrepeatable monstrosities; that the multilateral institutions created after World War II were destined to protect us forever,” the prime minister said.
“We’ve taken for granted the peace, security and prosperity achieved through the sacrifices of generations before us.
“The images coming from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol and the other cities of Ukraine fighting for freedom in Europe have marked the end of these illusions.”
Draghi added that Italy was ready to take further “restrictive measures” against Russia if necessary.
“In particular, I’ve proposed to take further targeted measures against oligarchs,” he said.
“The idea is to create an international public register of those with assets of more than €10 million.”
Italy has already contributed financially towards the emergency, donating €110 million in financial aid to Kyiv.
Draghi’s speech came after the Italian government on Monday passed an emergency decree containing urgent measures in response to the situation.
The government on Monday voted in favour of providing “military vehicles, materials and equipment” to Ukraine to assist in its defence against Russia’s invasion.
Other measures contained in the decree include the extension of the current state of emergency over the situation in Ukraine, which enables Italy’s parliament to rapidly pass decrees such as this one, until December 31, 2022; and provisions allowing Italy to revert to coal-based energy sources in the event of gas shortages.
Monday’s decree also reportedly authorises the expansion of reception centres by 13,000 spaces to accommodate the initial anticipated influx of Ukrainian refugees, as well as the establishment of a €500,000 fund to finance scholarships for Ukrainian students, researchers and teachers to attend Italian universities and training institutes.
“We are working to open special corridors for orphaned children, to allow them to safely reach our country as quickly as possible,” Draghi confirmed.
At the same time, Draghi did not shy away from underscoring Italy’s intention to play an active role in the defence of Ukraine, adding that “Italy does not intend to look the other way”.
Draghi repeated his government’s advice that Italians in Kyiv should leave and exercise “maximum caution”.
He said Italian embassy staff had moved to the ambassador’s residence together with a group of Italians, including children.
