Italy has made a show of friendship with Russia despite its nuclear sabre-rattling and new threats of military escalation in Ukraine.
The Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, invited Russian president Vladimir Putin to visit Italy during a joint press conference in the Kremlin on Wednesday (24 October).
He also dangled the prospect of an Italian veto on EU sanctions against Russia.
"I would very much like you to visit Italy in the near future ... I wouldn't like the It...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.