Italy's foreign minister sees no end to Ukraine war this year

Continued Russian actions may prompt new sanctions, he warns

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media at Villa Madama in Rome, Italy, Jun 12, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine is unlikely to end this year, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.

"The war isn't going to end as soon as some people said and believed ... I don't want to be a pessimist but I don't think there can be solutions before the end of the year," he said after a cabinet meeting in Rome.

Tajani also said that "if Russia continues like this, it is clear there will have to be new sanctions".

At least 18 people, including four children, were killed in Kyiv on Thursday following Russian missile and drone strikes that also damaged the European Union's mission and British Council offices in the Ukrainian capital.