Carlo Calenda and Matteo Renzi clash over alleged Putin phone call

Italian political leaders Carlo Calenda and Matteo Renzi are engaged in a public dispute regarding a past telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin. Calenda, leader of Azione, asserts that he and Renzi, during his tenure as Prime Minister, spoke with Putin and the Russian Minister of Industry to address Russian interference during the Brexit referendum.

Calenda maintains that records of this call exist within the Chigi Palace secretariat. In response, the press office for Italia Viva dismissed the claims as “lunatic phrases” and accused Calenda of “progressive mythomania,” alleging he is inventing a past that never occurred. Italia Viva further clarified that while Renzi did contact Putin regarding Russian interference and Russia Today, the call was made by Renzi alone from his home in Pontassieve.