Meloni faces insults and repatriations

On 22 April 2026, Russian journalist Solovyev insulted Italy's Meloni on air, calling her a 'fascist scum' according to The Telegraph. Italy expressed indignation, and Tajani said the vulgar and sexist words were unacceptable. Sikorski expressed solidarity with Meloni and said Russia must learn to live together and respect others.

Meloni shrugged off the insults and responded to Solovyev's criticism, and Solovyev then repeated his attack on Italy. Novinite described the exchange as an escalation between Rome and Moscow.