ROME (Reuters) – No Italian political parties were named in a report drawn up by U.S. intelligence that highlighted Russian efforts to influence politics in more than two dozen countries, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Friday.
Draghi spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this week about the report, which sent a jolt through Italy ahead of national elections on Sept. 25.
“The secretary of state confirmed that Italian political forces were not on the list of recipients of Russian financing,” Draghi told a news conference.
“U.S. intelligence confirmed that it has no evidence of covert Russian funding to candidates and politicians competing in the current election,” he added.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Crispian Balmer)