Il rapporto italo-sovietico in un’epoca di cambiamento

Abstract

The paper deals with Italy’s position as the frontrunner of the group of countries
in favor of Gorbachev’s perestroika, its solidarity for reforms in the USSR (confirmed
with the invitation to the Soviet leader to the G7 meeting in London in
1991) and its caution on the reunification of Germany, sharing the principles of
the Helsinki Final Act, as well as with the cordial personal relations between
Gorbachev and Andreotti, also beyond government roles. Gorbachev’s declaration
on the need to arrive at “a Europe in which everyone can preserve their own
identity, and in which we have much in common” helped to mitigate, but did not
completely dissipate, American hesitations.