Matteo Renzi

The Italian government has asked to participate in the enlargement of Nord Stream pipeline project, the Italian edition of the Huffington Post.

The issue was reportedly discussed a few days ago in a phone conversation between Italian PM, Matteo Renzi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The European Union agreed Dec. 21 to prolong damaging economic sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the Ukraine crisis for another six months amid sharp differences over relations with Moscow, while Russia will introduce a food embargo against Ukraine next month over Kiev's trade deal with the EU.

Premier Matteo Renzi had a heated exchange with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the European Council meeting of leaders in Brussels. Italian newspaper Corrierre della Sera reports that he said: “Dear Angela, you cannot tell us that you are donating blood to Europe.”

Italy and France are "united against terrorism," Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Thursday, after meeting with French President Francois Hollande.

"There is the need for an increasingly wide coalition to determine the destruction of ISIS and of the heinous project it embodies," Renzi has been quoted as saying by ANSA.

Western leaders who met on the margins of last week's Group of 20 summit in Turkey agreed to extend sanctions imposed on Russia for its intervention in Ukraine by six months until July of next year, a senior European diplomat told Reuters.

On the eve of the international summit on migration, which is taking place in Valletta on Wednesday and Thursday, Italy criticised EU member states from Eastern Europe for their recent measures on solving the refugee crisis, which have included strengthening of their border control.

The Guardian published today an inside story about the drama of last summer’s negotiations between Greek government and its creditors. It reveals what exactly happened last June, when Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stepped back and accepted to sign a third memorandum keeping Greece in the euro zone.

Central Macedonian Region Chief Apostolos Tzitzikostas, aged 37, announced his candidacy for the leadership of the New Democracy (ND) Party on Sunday night. The young man’s bid for the leadership, following that of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, aged 47, lowers the age bar for the party’s control from current leader Evangelos Meimarakis, aged 62.

Former Greek PM Yanis Varoufakis sent a message to Italian PM Matteo Renzi in his blog “A message for Mr. Renzi”. The post refers to a speech by Renzi that rejoiced at having got rid of Varoufakis. Here is his post:

French President Francois Hollande said on Sept.17 that he will urge a special EU summit next week to help Turkey keep Syrian refugees on its soil until the neighbouring country's war ends.