Isolated Putin seeks European sympathy in Italy

At talks with Matteo Renzi, the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Putin argued that sanctions are costing European firms money and lashed out at Western governments for shutting Moscow out of its "clubs,” including this week’s meeting of the G7.

"Italian companies missed out on a billion euros," he said at a brief press conference in Milan. "They could have given their enterprises work, created jobs. That didn't happen because of the sanctions."

The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions against Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea and subsequent support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Russia denies deploying troops inside Ukraine.

European and American officials have linked the lifting of sanctions to fulfilment of a peace agreement negotiated by Mr Putin and the leaders of Ukraine, France, and Germany at marathon talks in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in February.

Mr Renzi, who attended the G7 summit in Germany that Mr Putin was not invited to, avoided open criticism of the Kremlin’s role in Ukraine, instead expressing hope that the Minsk agreement would succeed.

He also praised the Kremlin as a key ally in the fight against terrorism and said Italy "needs Russia’s help on the Libyan question,” he said.

He did not specify how Russia could help resolve the Libyan crisis, which has seen thousands of migrants attempting to reach Italy across the Mediterranean.

Later Mr Putin travelled to Rome for a meeting with Pope Francis, who he may hope to cultivate as a sympathetic ally.

Pope Francis has so far refrained from openly criticising Russia for fuelling the separatist war effort, largely because he sees Mr Putin as useful ally in protecting Christians in the Middle East and fears jeopardising a nascent rapprochement with the Russian Orthodox Church.

But the Vatican is coming under intense pressure from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to confront Mr Putin over the war.

Earlier in the day the United States called on Pope Francis to take a stronger line with Mr Putin over the war in Ukraine. "We think they could say something more about concern of territorial integrity, those types of issues,” said Kenneth Hackett, the US ambassador to the Holy See, ahead of Mr Putin’s arrival in the Vatican.

According to Vatican officials, the Pope gave Mr Putin a medallion depicting the "angel of peace" representing an invitation to build a world of "solidarity and peace founded on justice" after their 50-minute meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

The Pope emphasised the need for all sides to respect the Minsk agreements and for humanitarian workers to be given access to eastern Ukraine, according to a statement.

Italy is Russia’s third largest trade partner after Germany and China and Mr Putin has built close ties with Italian leaders, including a personal friendship with Silvio Berlusconi, the former prime minister.

(telegraph.co.uk)