Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has expressed “regret” after falling victim to a prank call where she acknowledged international “fatigue” over the Ukraine war.
Believing she was talking to officials from the African Union, Ms Meloni told a pair of Russian comedians that all sides are nearing the moment in which “everybody understands that we need a way out”.
“There is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides,” she said. “The problem is to find a way out which can be acceptable for both, without destroying the international law.”
Ms Meloni has previously said that Italy will continue to back Ukraine against Russia, even if it affects the approval rating of the government.
However, the ongoing conflict is proving difficult to support, as a poll published in late February by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, showed 45% of Italians were against sending weapons to Ukraine, with 34% in favour.
The call was made on 18 September by Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, better known as comedians Vovan and Lexus.
Audio of the call with Ms Meloni was released on 1 November, and replayed by Italian media.
The office of Ms Meloni’s diplomatic adviser said it “regrets” having been misled by an imposter who posed as the president of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
The call was made in the run-up to the UN General Assembly, where Ms Meloni had meetings with African leaders.
Russian pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov (R) and Aleksei Stolyarov, known as Vovan and Lexus
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said that incidents like this one cannot be repeated.
“There was certainly superficiality by whoever organised the phone call,” Mr Tajani told Italy’s RAI radio.
In 2018, the same pair held an 18-minute phone call with former prime minister, Boris Johnson, after claiming to be the Armenian prime minister.
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Audio released of the call at the time revealed they discussed Russia, Vladimir Putin and the Salisbury poisoning during the conversation.
A few years earlier, in 2015, Sir Elton John believed he had a conversation with Mr Putin in which they discussed LGBTQ rights, but it was revealed the pranksters were also behind the hoax call.
Other Western politicians and celebrities that have been duped by the pranksters, in an effort to elicit frank, unguarded remarks, include former German chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prince Harry.