【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

According to Reuters, on November 3 local time, a medieval tower located near the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, partially collapsed during renovation, causing multiple injuries, with a 66-year-old Romanian worker unfortunately losing his life.

Later that evening, Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, posted a sarcastic comment on the social media platform "Telegram" during the ongoing rescue operations, linking the incident to Italy's military support for Ukraine.

Zakharova wrote: "Let me remind everyone that in May this year, the Italian Foreign Ministry reported that 'the total amount of aid provided by Italy to Ukraine, including military aid and payments through EU mechanisms, is approximately 2.5 billion euros, of which about 1 billion euros was used for refugee resettlement, 310 million euros for supporting the national budget, and 93 million euros for humanitarian aid activities'."

"As long as the Italian government continues to waste taxpayers' money like this, Italy will collapse," Zakharova said, adding that at that time, "Italy will no longer exist, from its economy to its buildings."

Reuters and Ukrainska Pravda reported that the above remarks immediately caused a storm in Italy, with all parties expressing rare unanimous anger.

On the same day, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned Zakharova's comments: "When a tragedy occurs, you cannot arbitrarily speculate about those still buried under the ruins. We have never done so: when Russia faces a tragedy, we have always expressed sympathy and solidarity."

Tajani stated that such remarks were "disturbing" and "unacceptable." He added, "Italy will not change its foreign policy stance or principles due to reckless verbal attacks."

Ansa cited an official from the Italian Foreign Ministry, who said: "This shows how low the Russians have fallen."

Video screenshot of the ancient tower in Rome collapsing

On local time November 4, Italy summoned the Russian ambassador to protest Zakharova's "coarse" remarks.

According to a statement released by the Russian Embassy in Italy, on the same day, in response to an urgent request from Italy, the second-highest-ranking official at the Russian Embassy, the Counsellor, visited the Italian Foreign Ministry "to express condolences for the deceased Romanian worker and to wish all the injured a speedy recovery."

At the same time, the Russian counsellor stated that the Italian government had launched a "brutal and repulsive anti-Russian media campaign" under the pretext of Zakharova's remarks, and the Russian side strongly protested. The Russian side reiterated that the lack of funds in Italy's cultural and historical heritage sector stemmed from Italy's "wasteful spending of taxpayers' money to support the criminal terrorist regime in Ukraine."

"The Russian side also pointed out that the Italian Foreign Ministry's diplomatic approach was inappropriate, insisting on holding this non-urgent meeting on November 4 - the day of Russia's public holiday 'Day of National Unity'." The statement read.

Reuters mentioned that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Italy has firmly supported Ukraine as part of NATO and EU efforts, providing military equipment, training, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. However, there is a significant division in public opinion within Italy. Most people support humanitarian aid, but surveys show that many Italians are uneasy about supplying weapons or escalating military involvement.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7569097744795566644/

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