Prime Minister Opens Up After Falling for YouTuber's Prank Call... Italian Diplomatic Advisor Resigns Amid Growing Controversy

Prime Minister Meloni Talks with YouTuber Posing as African Diplomat
Russian YouTuber Says, "Meloni Was Still Genuine"

Francesco Talo, the chief foreign policy advisor to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who suffered international embarrassment after being deceived by a prank call from a Russian YouTuber impersonating an African diplomat, has ultimately resigned.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to ANSA news agency on the 3rd (local time), Meloni announced Talo's resignation during a press conference after presiding over a cabinet meeting at the Palazzo Chigi, the prime minister's residence in Rome.

Earlier, on the 1st, Russian YouTubers Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, operating under the pseudonyms 'Vovan' and 'Lexus' respectively, released an online recording of a call with Prime Minister Meloni that took place on the 18th of last month.

In the approximately 15-minute call recording, Meloni expressed fatigue, saying, "European leaders are tired of the war in Ukraine that has lasted for 20 months," and added, "The issue is to find an exit that both sides can accept without violating international law."

She also complained that Italy had accepted 120,000 African immigrants this year, while the other European Union (EU) countries did not seem to care.

On that day, Meloni reportedly believed she was speaking with a senior diplomat from the African Union. After the controversy grew, the prime minister's office acknowledged the authenticity of the call recording released by the Russian YouTubers and stated, "We regret that the prime minister was deceived."

Meloni emphasized regarding the statements made during the call, "There is nothing new, and our support for Ukraine remains unchanged."

However, Talo, a 65-year-old veteran diplomat, took responsibility for the incident and resigned disgracefully just months before his planned retirement. Talo had served as ambassador to NATO, Israel, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Kuznetsov and Stolyarov had previously attempted calls with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, and pop star Elton John.

Regarding their ability to contact world leaders and global celebrities, the Italian daily La Repubblica reported, "They are suspected of having connections with Russian intelligence agencies."

Meanwhile, Stolyarov commented in an interview with foreign media, "Most other European leaders spoke like robots, but at least Prime Minister Meloni was someone who could speak sincerely."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.