Crosetto defends Italy’s refusal of US base flights as constitutional

Guido Crosetto, Italy’s defence minister, on Tuesday rejected claims of tensions with Washington, a week after Rome denied landing permission to two US military aircraft at the Sigonella base in Sicily.

“We are like a traffic light: we apply the rules. There are no heroes here, just the Constitution,” Crosetto told lawmakers in the Chamber of Deputies.

The US requests were rejected because the planes carried weapons intended for use in operations in the Middle East, for which parliamentary approval is required, and because Washington had requested permission after the aircraft were already airborne. Similar decisions by other European nations have drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump, who has gone as far as suggesting Washington could pull out of the NATO alliance.

“It doesn’t take courage to say no to the United States if they make a request we can’t accept. We aren’t defended by our courage, we’re defended by our respect for the institutions,” Crosetto…