Guido Crosetto
Italian politician
Photo: Ministero della Difesa, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- 2d ago
NATO starts annual Steadfast Noon nuclear drill with 17 allies, Germany sends Tornados to Italy
The exercise runs from 13 to 23 October and uses only training bombs without nuclear warheads. Russia's embassy in Belgium has rejected it, saying such drills do not reduce tensions.
- Oct 4
Police cite three men after anti-drug priest Don Coluccia faces threats during Rome march
Carabinieri cited three Tunisian nationals for aggravated threats after a group of about ten people surrounded anti-mafia priest Don Antonio Coluccia during a legality walk in Rome's Quarticciolo district on 3 October.
- Sep 25
Four Italian soldiers injured by friendly fire during NATO exercise in Latvia
Four Italian Bersaglieri were hospitalised in Riga on Friday after live rounds from another Italian vehicle struck their transport during a NATO live-fire drill at the Ādaži training ground.
- Sep 25
Italy and France Dismiss Report of CIA Warning Over Russian Mediterranean Drone Strikes
Ministers in Rome and Paris denied reports of a CIA alert regarding Russian sea-launched drone attacks against Southern Europe, even as governments step up security measures against hybrid sabotage.
- Sep 24
Antonio Tajani calls for UN reform and diplomatic resolution with Iran at General Assembly
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani addressed the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, urging reform of the Security Council, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and peaceful dialogue with Iran.
- Sep 21
Italy steps up naval escorts in Red Sea and demands EU fleet expansion after drone strike
Italy has deployed naval escorts to protect commercial ships in the Bab al-Mandab strait and formally asked the European Union to expand Operation Aspides to six warships following a Houthi drone strike on an Italian jet in Saudi Arabia.
- Sep 18
Houthis strike Riyadh and Yanbu as Italian Eurofighter is hit at Taif base
Houthi forces launched missile and drone attacks against Riyadh and Yanbu on 19 September 2026, igniting an Aramco fuel tank and causing flight delays following an earlier strike on an Italian jet in Taif.
- Sep 15
Italian NATO jets intercept and down explosive-laden drone over Lithuania
Italian fighter jets operating under NATO Baltic Air Policing intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle entering from Belarus, with Lithuanian sappers neutralizing an explosive payload found on the wreckage.
- Aug 29
Former Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov joins Italian Defence Ministry as innovation adviser
Mykhailo Fedorov has agreed to advise Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on drones, unmanned systems and air defence technologies while remaining based in Kyiv.
- Jul 29
Italy to request full 14.9 billion euro EU defence loan, coalition divided
Foreign Minister Tajani announced the decision to tap the EU's SAFE facility for up to 14.9 billion euros, but Defence Minister Crosetto immediately clarified the funds are a technical financing alternative, not new spending, exposing deep divisions within the ruling coalition.
- Jul 26
Italy offers dismissed Ukraine defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov a Rome advisor post after sacking sparks protests
Guido Crosetto called Mykhailo Fedorov the day after President Zelensky dismissed him, offering an advisor position and promising new arms deliveries to Kyiv. Fedorov saw it as a gesture of friendship.
- Jun 28
Italian soldier Noemi Saetta, 23, dies of respiratory crisis on military bus in Rome
Noemi Saetta, a 23-year-old soldier from Velletri serving in the Lancieri di Montebello regiment, died on 26 June after a sudden respiratory crisis during a bus journey on the Grande Raccordo Anulare in Rome.
- Jun 24
Italy rejects NATO claim it hosted 500 US warplanes for Iran strikes, sparking political row and Iranian accusations
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her government have rejected NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s assertion that 500 US aircraft flew from Italian bases to attack Iran, insisting only logistic missions were allowed, as the opposition demands she explain the apparent contradiction to parliament.
- Jun 20
Meloni hits back after Trump claims she 'begged' for a G7 photo; Italian foreign minister cancels US visit
Giorgia Meloni sharply denied Donald Trump's assertion that she pleaded for a photograph at the G7 summit, with Italy's foreign minister scrapping a planned trip to Washington in protest.
- Jun 2
Italy marks 80 years of the Republic with military parade and calls for renewed ambition
President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni led celebrations in Rome for the 80th anniversary of the Italian Republic, honouring the 1946 referendum that established it.
- May 29
Russian drone strikes Romanian apartment block in Galati, injuring two in first civilian hit on NATO soil
A Russian Geran-2 drone crashed into a 10-storey residential building in Galati, Romania, overnight, injuring two people and triggering sharp condemnation from NATO allies who called it a dangerous escalation.
- May 29
NATO Condemns 'Reckless' Russia After Drone Hits Romanian Residential Building, First on Alliance Territory
A Russian drone crashed into a residential building in Galați, Romania, a NATO member state, causing a fire and lightly injuring two people. NATO condemned Moscow's 'recklessness' as the first such incident on alliance territory since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.