The Russian Ambassador to Italy spoke about diplomatic contacts with Rome

The Italian leadership still remains closed to official contacts with Russia, and at all levels, Russian Ambassador to Rome Alexei Paramonov told Izvestia.

Divorce in Italian: who canceled the concert of the Gergiev Orchestra and why

The local media has already called the government's decision a "return of fascism."

"Sometimes it seems that in some sense it applies the approach of the head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, who imposed a self-ban on conducting any negotiations with Russia," the diplomat said.

Earlier, a planned concert by Valery Gergiev was canceled in Italy.

"This is certainly a landmark manifestation of Russophobia and the practical application of the concept of cultural abolition. With this decision, the Italian leadership, President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Meloni, who have repeatedly opposed the abolition of Russian culture and who tried to flaunt their tolerance against the backdrop of the opening of the season at La Scala in 2022 with the opera Boris Godunov, refuted themselves," the ambassador noted.