Italy's Crosetto: more ships for EU Red Sea mission if Europe matches Rome's commitment

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Italy is willing to increase its contribution to the EU's Aspides naval mission protecting Red Sea shipping, but only if other European countries step up too. 1 In an interview with The National in Rome, he said Italy has always kept one ship deployed to Aspides and that, at present, "it is us, the Greeks and sometimes France" providing ships. 1 He said the ships must be modern, "top-class naval units, not ships that are 40 years old". 1

In a statement issued on Friday after meeting EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in Rome, Crosetto welcomed a decision by some member states to add assets to Aspides without naming them, but said the contributions are still not enough to guarantee safe passage for merchant vessels (Reuters, via The Straits Times). 2 Aspides was launched in 2024 to protect shipping from attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, and diplomats say six warships are currently deployed; Kallas has said it would need more than 10. 2 1 The issue has become pressing because the Houthis have made rapid gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast and started attacking Saudi energy sites and ships, raising fears for fuel supplies already tight because of the Iran war and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. 1 2

Reuters also reported that Italy last month urged allies to do more, saying it was ready to deploy its own ships to avoid delays from the EU's decision-making process; The National notes that about 40 per cent of Italy's international trade passes through the Suez Canal and Red Sea. 2 1 Crosetto also told The National that Italy sent radars and anti-missile batteries to Saudi Arabia, called for a bigger European role in seeking peace, and said Italy is preparing a mission to replace the UN force Unifil in Lebanon, which would need US agreement. 1