ROME, ITALY - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Rome Thursday for a lightning visit including talks with Pope Francis and Italy's populist government, which has called for an easing of sanct
ROME, ITALY - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Rome Thursday for a lightning visit including talks with Pope Francis and Italy's populist government, which has called for an easing of sanctions despite Moscow's ongoing crisis with the West.
Far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has often expressed admiration for Putin, and his coalition government advocates reviewing EU sanctions against Russia. The US and EU have progressively imposed sanctions on Russia since its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Moscow's involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, including the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.When his party won most Italian votes in May's European elections, Salvini posted a photo of himself with a picture of Putin in the background.
Italy has not vetoed the sanctions but the EU front appears less united thanks to Rome's pro-Russian overtures. The meeting lasted an unusual 50 minutes. Only audiences with former US President Barack Obama and French President Emmanuel Macron have been longer. Relations have improved since the coming to power in the same year of Patriarch Kirill, who headed up the Russian Orthodox Church's diplomatic arm for years.The Russian Orthodox Church has frequently accused the Catholic Church of proselytizing in Russia, an Orthodox Christian country of 144 million.
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