“A very important point we have discussed with President Biden is how to build peace. The negotiation process is very difficult but the first point is how to build it. And above all that this peace must be the peace that Ukraine wants. That it is therefore not imposed, either by a certain type of allies or by others “. Prime Minister Mario Draghi said this during a press conference in the Italian embassy in Washington. And on Russia he said that it has been shown that “he is not like David with Goliath”, as was initially thought because he is proving “not an invincible subject.” The goal is therefore “to seek peace, whoever the person or the people involved in this. Not that you are looking for biased statements, not that you are trying to win, Victory is not defined. For the Ukrainians yes, it means repelling the invasion but for others? “
Draghi has been in the United States since Tuesday 10 to meet with President Joe Biden. He has already had talks with Nancy Pelosi and a bipartisan delegation. In the evening, the Atlantic Council will award him recognition for the Distinguished Leadership Award 2022.
The grain and the gas
“The idea of putting a ceiling on the price of gas has been welcomed even if the US administration is thinking more about the oil price ceiling than the gas price ceiling. It was decided that we will talk about it again together ”, the Italian Prime Minister specified. While on wheat he explained that “the unblocking of wheat from Ukrainian ports can be evidence of dialogue between the parties”. «With Joe Biden we talked about the food crisis caused by the blockade of various grains from Ukraine because the ports are blocked. Lavrov – he added – said they are blocked because the ports are mined. This may be a first example of dialogue being built between the two sides to save tens of millions of people ”.
The way of renewables
“Much stronger” investments in renewables are needed to maintain the transition objectives despite the energy crisis, and “the Italian government has taken numerous simplification measures and we will have no hesitation in taking more if we do not see an increase in investments in renewables which also means actual installations “.
The meeting with Biden
“The meeting went very well, Biden thanked Italy as a strong partner, reliable ally, interlocutor, credible and I thanked him for his leadership role in this crisis and the great collaboration that has existed with everyone. the allies, ”said Draghi.
The stagflation risk
ECB President Christine Lagarde “is well aware” of the stagflation risk, which would derive from a tightening of monetary policy. «But – explained Draghi – the situation between the US and Italy is very different, as the American labor market shows that the economy is doing well and in Europe economic activity still has a lot of room to grow. This is why the normalization process will be different ».