(ANSAmed) - ROME, MAY 3 - Five-Star Movement (M5S) senator
and chair of the Senate foreign affairs committee, Vito
Petrocelli, said on Tuesday that he was not resigning following
a political storm over his positions regarding the conflict in
Ukraine.
"I am not stepping down because I feel that I represent the
Constitution, the will of Italians who don't have any more
parties representing them in Parliament", he noted.
"I will honor the pledges for peace and international
dialogue that I took with voters in 2018", said Petrocelli, who
has opposed the government's package of aid, including military
aid, for Ukraine after Russia invaded the country.
Petrocelli accused Premier Mario Draghi's government, which
the M5S supports, of becoming "interventionist" in the Ukraine
war, saying in March that he would henceforth vote against the
cabinet in all confidence votes.
Last month, M5S leader Giuseppe Conte announced Petrocelli's
expulsion from the movement after the senator posted a
controversial tweet on the eve of April 25 wishing Italians
"happy Liberation Day" using the capital 'Z' in "liberazione",
which has become a symbol of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
(ANSAmed).
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