Ukraine calls for unity after Italian PM tells prank callers of war fatigue
Giorgia Meloni's unwitting admission will 'please Russia'

Leading politicians in Ukraine have appealed for continued support after the Italian prime minister accidentally disclosed that European leaders were growing weary of the conflict.
Giorgia Meloni has expressed "regret" after falling victim to a prank call from two Russian comedians during which she said "there is a lot of fatigue" and "everybody understands that we need a way out".
The call was made in September by Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, better known as comedians Vovan and Lexus, who pretended to be officials from the African Union. A recording of the prank call was published this week on the online platform Rumble.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meloni has previously said that Italy will continue to back Ukraine, "even if it affects the approval rating of the government", said Sky News. But the "ongoing conflict is proving difficult to support". A poll in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera showed that 45% of Italians were against sending weapons to Ukraine, with 34% in favour.
Her "talk of war fatigue will please Russia, which is counting on dwindling enthusiasm among Kyiv's western allies", said The Times. But Oleksandr Merezhko, сhairman of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on foreign policy, told Politico that abandoning Ukraine "would cost Europe and the world very dearly" by "throwing Europe and the world security system back to the 19th century".
Europe "should be tired of Russia, not of Ukraine", added Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a Ukrainian MP and chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Integration of Ukraine to the EU.
This is not the first time the Russian comedians have successfully pranked a public figure. In 2018 they held an 18-minute phone call with Boris Johnson after claiming to be the Armenian prime minister. In 2015 they convinced Elton John he was having a conversation with Vladimir Putin.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
October 4 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include the Einstein files, defunding the police, and an odd tribute to Jane Goodall
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipe
The Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Under siege: Argentina’s president drops his chainsaw
Talking Point The self-proclaimed ‘first anarcho-capitalist president in world history’ faces mounting troubles
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sites
Speed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace plan
Speed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Moldova gives decisive win to pro-EU party
Speed Read The country is now on track to join the European Union within five years
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
UK, 3 Western allies recognize Palestinian state
Speed Read Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized the state of Palestine
-
Denmark’s record-setting arms purchase raises eyebrows and anxiety
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By eschewing American-made munitions for their European counterparts, the Danish government is bracing for Russian antagonism and sending a message to the West
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare