Crumbling Middlepowerness? Italy’s Relations with Russia amidst the Russo- Ukrainian War and Geopolitical Tensions
Journal: UNICA IRIS Institutional Research Information System (University of Cagliari)
Year: 2026

From the 1960s until the 2010s, Italy pursued closer ties with non-Western powers, including the Soviet Union/Russia, while remaining firmly aligned with the West. This balancing act was an important feature of its desired ‘middle power’ status. However, Italy’s decreasing relative power and geopolitical competition have cur- tailed the already limited scope of international partnerships outside the West. This article challenges the argument that post-2022 Italian foreign policy is solely a tale