Italy’s 13th military aid package for Ukraine stalled on Tuesday, 10 November, after Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti had not yet signed the classified decree needed to send it forward, exposing fresh strains inside Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ruling coalition.

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto was due to present the package to parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, Copasir, on Tuesday afternoon. But without the Economy Ministry’s signature, the decree cannot be published and shipments to Kyiv cannot legally begin, according to reports from Rome.

Meloni plays down coalition rift

Meloni moved quickly to play down suggestions of a political split. Speaking in Bologna on Tuesday, she said there was no question of a failed signature and described the hold-up as a temporary physical problem: Giorgetti was in Brussels for Eurogroup and Ecofin meetings and could not sign a classified document remotely.

“When there are issues, I’m happy to comment on them, but in this case, it’s a temporary physical impediment,” Meloni said, adding that she expected Giorgetti to sign the package once he returned to Rome after his Ecofin visit.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who is also deputy prime minister, gave the same account earlier in the day, telling state radio that Giorgetti backed the package and would sign it as soon as he arrived back in Rome.

What is in the 13th package?

The contents of the package remain classified, but reports in Rome say it is expected to include generators and air-defence components, possibly including Aster interceptor missiles for the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air-defence system. It is Italy’s first new military aid package for Ukraine this year and the 13th since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Reuters reported last week that the package was being finalised and was due to be approved after Crosetto briefed Copasir on 10 November. The government is authorised to deliver the aid under a decree approved late last year that allows arms shipments to Ukraine until 31 December.

League doubts over further arms shipments

The delay has nevertheless highlighted divisions in the coalition. Giorgetti belongs to the League, the party led by Matteo Salvini, which has questioned whether Italy should keep sending military aid to Ukraine. League Senator Claudio Borghi asked on social media how Crosetto could present a decree to Copasir when, without all the ministers’ signatures, “the act does not exist”.

Government sources told the ANSA news agency on Tuesday morning that Giorgetti had spoken to Meloni by telephone and explained that the only obstacle was technical: he was not in Rome and could not sign the classified document from Brussels.

Crosetto has defended continued support for Ukraine, warning in an interview with La Repubblica on Tuesday that abandoning Kyiv would have direct consequences for European security. Tajani has likewise defended the aid as part of Italy’s commitments to the European Union and NATO.

What happens next

All eyes are now on Giorgetti’s return to Rome. If he signs as Meloni and Tajani expect, the decree can be published and the package can move to Copasir and then to delivery. If the signature is delayed further, the row is likely to deepen, with general elections due in Italy next year and support for Ukraine becoming more contentious inside the coalition.

For now, Rome’s message is that the package is going ahead and the delay is procedural rather than political. The coming days will show whether that account holds.