Italy says preparations underway for 12th military aid package for Ukraine

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has said that Italy is working on another aid package for Ukraine – the 12th since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As reported by Italian news agency ANSA, Crosetto said Italy's position on Ukraine remains unchanged. Asked whether another aid package would be prepared, he replied: "Probably yes."

"We will put together a new package that I will present shortly along the lines of the other packages," the defence minister added.

Regarding assistance for Ukraine's air defence, Crosetto said: "We sent everything we had without making Italy's defence weaker than it already is."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has sent 11 aid packages since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, with a total value estimated at between €2.5 and €3 billion.

Italy is also reported to have supplied Kyiv with two SAMP/T air defence batteries. Details of the packages are generally strictly classified.

In October, Bloomberg reported that Italy's 12th military aid package for Ukraine could be ready by the end of 2025.

In addition, Italy has signalled its readiness to join the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO initiative under which US-made weapons, particularly Patriot air defence missiles, are purchased with European funds.