Article written by Karen Laura Feliciano and Laura Cariolin
As the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalates, the European Union has asked its member countries to apply sanctions against Russia. One country that was heavily affected by making this order was Italy., since she had strong commercial relations with the Russian country, generating a crisis in the distribution of various services and products. One of the most affected services are those related to European energy distribution., which mainly affects the Italian territory, which had Russia and the former Soviet countries as one of its biggest energy suppliers. Thus, it is possible to identify disturbances in their relationships.
in the foreground, it is necessary to understand the old partnership between Russia and Italy. According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil regarding Italy, former Soviet bloc countries accounted for a large share of energy imports to the country, and imports from various industries totaled 2,78% in 2020, segundo dados do The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC). Since Italian exports were 2,6% destined for Russia in 2012. Like this, the important role of Russia in the Italian economy is perceptible, not only for its commercial attribution, but also to supply its energy matrix.
However, given the current conjuncture of the war, Italy's position on the events in Ukraine is remarkable.. Like this, although the two countries have had strong economic ties for decades, Russian invasion spurred Rome's government to realign with European allies. In this sense, Italy went on to set a series of sanctions on Russia, which resulted in great disadvantages for the country. In addition to sanctions directly aimed at energy production, There were also seizures of yachts and mansions of Russian millionaires included in the European Union list for the purpose of harming the Russian government. The consequences of these acts were, from Russia calling Italy's position indecent, to the need to find new business partners for energy supply. In this way, it is noted that the measures taken by the Italian government significantly altered the relations between the two countries.
Concludes, therefore, what, despite the considerable role played by Russia in the Italian economy, mainly in the energy sector, it is better strategically for Italy to align itself with the interests of the European Union, of which she is a part. Besides that, it is possible to see that the strong relationship between the two countries, not only commercial, but also diplomatic, was consequently altered by such a positioning.
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