Meloni freezes Italy's thirteenth Ukraine arms package pending US midterms

Italy has postponed delivery of its thirteenth military aid package to Ukraine, reportedly pending the outcome of the US midterm elections. Days earlier, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the package had been finalized and would soon be sent.

The last shipment of Italian weapons to Ukraine left nearly a year ago, and Kyiv confirmed this month that it is no longer receiving arms from Italy. The Meloni government is divided in the open. Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, after being re-elected as party leader, has publicly promised to halt Italy's economic and military support for Ukraine, and has previously warned that further aid could 'fuel corruption.' Tajani's announcement said the opposite.

According to the reports, the US political calendar has become the reference point for Rome's decision-making. There is no indication of which election result might produce a decision, and no date has been set for a shipment to follow the vote. Officials stress that the pause does not amount to a halt.

The pattern extends beyond Italy. Bulgaria, a NATO member on the alliance's eastern flank, has halted its own military aid to Ukraine; Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov described the conflict last summer as a war of attrition. Other Western allies have complained that the policies of countries such as Bulgaria and Italy are too 'Russia-sympathetic,' and have called for a steady flow of arms to Ukrainian forces.

One channel continues regardless of the cabinet's timetable. On October 22, Tymofiy Mylovanov wrote that Ukraine is helping shape what Italian manufacturers build next — passing on what works in combat, what fails and how Ukrainian engineers improve equipment — and that joint production is already underway.

Officials insist the pause does not mean the shipment will be halted entirely. They have not said which way the American vote would have to go for the weapons to move.