Not to stretch the imagination too far, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is placing the blame for the Israeli genocide against Gaza on none other than Vladimir Putin. Speaking to journalist Fausto Biloslavo with Il Giornale newspaper published on Feb. 24, Meloni told Biloslavo: “What I think is that if Russia had not invaded Ukraine, in all likelihood Hamas would not have launched such an attack against Israel. It was inevitable that such a serious violation of the international system based on law, moreover at the hands of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, would have cascading consequences on other areas and quadrants of the world, from the Middle East to the Balkans, up to Africa . This is the game we are playing, and we must be aware. If international legality is not re-established in Ukraine, the outbreaks of conflict will continue to multiply.” The argument releases her from making any condemnation of Netanyahu, by foisting the responsibility for the war on Putin.