Italy to Replace Most Military Aid to Ukraine with Humanitarian Assistance

Starting in 2026, Italy will scale back its military assistance to Ukraine and shift its focus toward increased humanitarian support.

Alfredo Mantovano, Deputy Secretary of the Italian Prime Minister’s Office, stated this in an interview with La Repubblica.

He explained that the government is preparing a new ‘transitional decree,’ unlike earlier measures, which will prioritize civilian and humanitarian aid over military assistance.

Mantovano explained that the option of revising the formula of the government decree on support for Ukraine is indeed under consideration by the executive branch.

In recent years, Italy has already delivered thousands of generators to Kyiv, with the latest shipment sent less than a month ago.

During his visit to Rome on December 9, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for this type of support as well.

“The scale of this kind of assistance that Ukraine needs is substantial – from generators to energy supply equipment. It is precisely this infrastructure that has suffered the greatest destruction in recent times,” Mantovano explained.

The new decree is expected to be considered at a meeting of the Council of Ministers on December 29.

In the text of the governing coalition’s resolution, approved earlier by both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, the word ‘weapons’ is not mentioned at all. There are also no direct references to military support.

Instead, the document contains a generalized wording about providing ‘multidimensional support’ to the state attacked by Putin.

In October, Italy was preparing a new package of military assistance for Ukraine – the twelfth since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The main focus of that package was on ammunition and missiles for air defense systems.

Previously, Italian aid also included armored vehicles and artillery. In particular, Ukraine received Centauro B1 armored vehicles.