Italy's defence minister described the US decision to restrict Ukraine's access to satellite systems and intelligence as a complete mistake and a major error in defending against Russian strikes.

Guido Crosetto stated in a BBC interview that such restrictions by the Trump administration make no sense at all and could extend Russia's full-scale invasion rather than support an end to the conflict.

US officials indicated that President Trump has not requested any slowdown in internet speeds provided to Ukraine, which remain essential for its operations. Trump has also denied halting the sharing of early-warning alerts about incoming Russian aerial threats.

Crosetto's remarks add to Italy's growing criticism of US policy.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described Trump's agreement to purchase diesel from Russia as a very risky choice that would grant Russia legitimacy while it continues bombing Ukrainian cities.

Trump reached the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin and attributed rising fuel prices to Kyiv's strikes on Russian refineries.

Meloni, previously seen as close to the US president, noted that the move contradicts efforts to bring Putin to negotiations.

Peace will arrive when Putin recognizes a stalemate and realizes he cannot advance further, the defence minister told the BBC at his ministry in Rome.

Crosetto co-founded Meloni's hard-right Fratelli d'Italia party, which has headed a right-wing coalition since 2022, shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion began.

If Putin perceives weakness on the Ukrainian side, and if the US withholds resources from Ukraine, that weakness will encourage him to believe victory is possible, leading him to continue the war, Crosetto cautioned.

He added that this approach is completely wrong.

Despite public doubts, Meloni's government has supported Ukraine strongly since the outset with both military and humanitarian assistance.

Details of those deliveries remain classified.

Crosetto pledged that Italian military aid would persist for as long as the current government holds power, though he noted that securing parliamentary approval for additional deliveries would grow more challenging as elections near.

The vote must occur by the end of 2027, and current polls show a new far-right party, Futuro Nazionale, leading Meloni's coalition partners.

That party's leader, former general Roberto Vannacci, expresses sympathy for Russia and opposes aid to Ukraine, claiming Europe wastes funds as Russian forces advance.

At a recent Tuscany event, he described himself as neither pro-Putin nor pro-Russian but pro-Italian.

Crosetto dismissed questions about Vannacci and whether his views mirror those of many Italians, stating he had more serious issues to address.

To highlight differences, he spoke clearly against Russia.

When one state crosses another's border with tanks, bombs hospitals and schools, kills civilians, and strikes power plants for four years, that can only be called evil, he said.

Italians, like other Europeans, face rising prices due to high energy costs.

During street protests in Rome on Friday involving firecrackers, secondary school students protested the diversion of resources to arms over education.

Some chanted for more classrooms instead of more bombs.

In southern Italy, truckers have started blocking roads over increased fuel prices.

Polls consistently show most Italians want an end to military aid for Ukraine, with one September survey by the Ixè institute finding only 18 percent support for continued arms supplies.

Factors include a long pacifist tradition, historical business links to Moscow, and a sense of physical distance from the threat unlike in Poland or the Baltic states.

The defence minister also pointed to an active Russian disinformation campaign targeting certain political figures and narratives to weaken opposition to Russia.

In some way they shift public opinion, the minister argued.

It is very hard to explain to a citizen facing petrol pump difficulties that no concessions can be made to Russia right now, yet that remains the only way to protect that citizen's future.

Italy has avoided major sabotage unlike other Ukrainian allies in Europe.

The minister said a fire at an arms depot outside Rome in August resulted from human error, not arson.

A recent report of Russia planning drone attacks on Italy, France, and Spain from Mediterranean container ships remains unproven, Crosetto added.

Cyber-attacks linked to Russia occur routinely, with hundreds daily, and he believed Europe has responded too weakly.

You cannot win a war if you do not fight back, the minister said.