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Giorgia Meloni says European leaders are ‘tired of Ukraine war’ in prank
call
Italian PM regrets being deceived by Russian pranksters posing as African diplomats, with her remarks
playing into the hands of the Kremlin

By James Kilner and Giovanni Legorano

1 November 2023 • 7:03pm

203

European leaders are tired of the war in Ukraine and want to broker a deal with the Kremlin to end it,

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Giorgia Meloni told pranksters posing as African diplomats.

The Italian prime minister made the remarks during a phone call she believed she was having with a
senior African Union o�cial when she was in fact speaking with two proli�c Russian pranksters and
suspected Kremlin agents.

During the conversation with “Vovan and Lexus”, she said European leaders wanted a “way out” of the
20-month war in Ukraine.

“I see that many are tired. To tell the truth, perhaps we are close to the moment when everyone will
understand that we need a way out,” she said.

Ms Meloni’s remarks play into the hands of the Kremlin, which has counted on Kyiv’s Western allies
growing fatigued by the war and thus reducing their support.

This week, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, warned that the Kremlin was banking on the Gaza-
Israel war diverting Western support away from Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky has also begged the West not to give up on its support for Ukraine despite a
disappointing countero�ensive, backed by Nato forces.

Speaking about the countero�ensive during the call, Ms Meloni said: “It didn’t change the destiny of the
con�ict.

“So everybody understands that it really could last many years if we don’t try to �nd some solutions.”

Ms Meloni’s o�ce con�rmed that the recording was genuine and had taken place on Sep 18, ahead of
meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“The prime minister regrets having been deceived,” it said.

The pranksters’ ability to get on the phone with Ms Meloni will raise security concerns.

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Vladimir 'Vovan' Kuznetsov (left) and Alexei 'Lexus' Stolyarov have released a 15-minute recording of the prank call CREDIT: YURI
KADOBNOV/AFP

Italian opposition parties criticised Ms Meloni for falling into a Russian trap.

Former prime minister Matteo Renzi, now a senator with opposition party Italia Viva, said the recording
was a “bad ga�e for Italy and for Giorgia Meloni”.

“What’s at stake here is Italy’s credibility,” he added.

However, an MP from Ms Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party claimed the call con�rmed “the Italian position
of support to Ukraine and of respect of international law”.

In the 13-minute recording released by Vovan and Lexus, whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and
Alexei Stolyarov, Ms Meloni also complains that Italy has taken in 120,000 African migrants this year
and that the EU refuses to o�er any real help.

“They don’t care. They don’t pick up the telephone,” she said. “They think that it is Italy’s problem.”

Other victims of 'Vovan and Lexus'

Pr in ce Har r y - two calls in 2019 �2020

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Pr in ce Har r y - two calls in 2019 �2020

The two prank callers claim they impersonated climate activist Greta Thunberg and her father during a call
with the Duke of Sussex. They said the prince made comments about quitting the Royal family during the
call and criticised Donald Trump over his inaction on climate change. Buckingham Palace did not comment.

The hoax callers attempted to make Ms Meloni wade in on Britain’s plans to deport migrants to Rwanda
but she skirted around the topic saying she did not know the details of the proposal.

However, she sympathised with Britain’s struggle to clamp down on illegal migrants saying they are
“impossible to integrate” into European society.

“Some of them �nish in the hands of criminal organisations,” she said. “The European Commission says
it understands this but when you ask them for money to invest and help countries, it becomes more
di�cult.”

Mr Kuznetsov and Mr Stolyarov are prominent in Russia, where they thrill Russians with their
entrapment of world leaders.

Sir Elton John, Ben Wallace and the Duke of Sussex have all been tricked into giving up controversial
opinions in phone conversations.

The pair of pranksters have said that they would never trick an ally of Vladimir Putin and have
increasingly targeted Western o�cials since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, triggering
accusations that they are working for the Kremlin. They have denied the allegations.

Related Topics
203
Europe, Italy, Giorgia Meloni, Russia, Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine

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