Guido Crosetto

Guido Crosetto (born 19 September 1963) is an Italian politician and businessman who is the Minister of Defence since 22 October 2022. Born in Cuneo, he grew up into a family involved in agriculture and construction, and later became involved in the family business. Crosetto began his political career in Christian Democracy (DC) and was mainly involved in the local politics of Piedmont. From 1990 to 2004, he was mayor of Marene. In 2000, he joined Forza Italia (FI). His rise in national politics began with his election to the Chamber of Deputies in 2001, a position he held until 2013 and from 2018 to 2019. In 2009, Crosetto joined The People of Freedom (PdL) and served as an undersecretary at the Ministry of Defence in the fourth Berlusconi government from 2008 to 2011. In 2012, Crosetto was among the founders (alongside Giorgia Meloni and Ignazio La Russa) of Brothers of Italy (FdI), of which he served as national coordinator from 2013 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2019, representing its moderate wing.

After leaving electoral politics in 2014, Crosetto returned to the Chamber of Deputies in 2018 and again served as national coordinator of FdI. He resigned from Italian Parliament in 2019 to focus on his business career, while remaining a close adviser to Meloni and an influential figure within the party. He was widely regarded as part of FdI's moderate wing and advocated its development into a broad conservative party rather than a narrowly right-wing movement. Crosetto was active in the Italian defence industry, serving as president of the Federation of Italian Companies for Aerospace, Defence and Security (AIAD), senior adviser to Leonardo, and chairman of Orizzonte Sistemi Navali. In 2022, he became Minister of Defence in the Meloni government. Before becoming defence minister, he resigned from his private-sector positions and divested himself of his business interests to address potential conflicts of interest.

Crosetto identifies as an anti-fascist, despite being a co-founder of FdI, and has condemned fascist symbolism and commemorations within the political right. He has also advocated a more moderate and Christian-democratic approach to conservatism and greater European integration. In foreign policy, he has argued that Europe must strengthen its political, economic, and military capabilities to reduce its dependence on the United States, while maintaining support for Atlanticism. He has described the growing strategic competition between the United States and China as a defining feature of international politics, and has criticised Italy's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, while calling for a pragmatic approach to relations with major powers.

As Minister of Defence, Crosetto has been a prominent supporter of Ukraine and of increased European defence cooperation, while advocating the modernisation of the Italian Armed Forces and higher defence spending. He has also taken independent positions on international affairs, supporting a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict while becoming increasingly critical of Israel's conduct in Gaza. In 2026, following the outbreak of war involving Iran, he criticised the United States and Israeli military intervention and warned of the risk of wider escalation, while supporting the deployment of Italian air-defence capabilities to Gulf states. He has argued for a stronger and more integrated European defence policy and for greater European strategic autonomy, while maintaining Italy's commitments to NATO and its existing alliances.

Early life Family and business Crosetto was born into a family of agricultural entrepreneurs in Cuneo, the capital city of the province of Cuneo in the Italian region of Piedmont, on 19 September 1963. In addition to Cuneo, he grew up in Alba, calling himself "a children of the province of Granda", and Marene. At a young age, Crosetto took over the family business, which produced agricultural machinery, later expanding his business to other sectors, including real estate and tourism. The business was known as Agrimec, before it was renamed to Crosetto as a private limited company, and produced agricultural trailers since 1937, before its expansion to other sectors. Both Crosetto's father and grandfather were entrepreneurs who built agricultural machineries, leading to an agro-mechanical dynasty that Crosetto dates back to the 1870s. Crosetto recalled in 2025 "the hellish diagnosis" contained in the medical report, stating: "One day I came home and found my mother waiting for me in the entrance hall. A kiss, a hug, then she dragged me into the living room. On the table were some chest X-rays and a medical report. 'What do you think it means?' she asked me. From there, a sort of desperate race began, made of the desperation that goes beyond the limits of rationality and typical of those who seek hope even in places they wouldn't normally go. There's a Turk who claims to have a miracle machine? Take your father and go to the Turk. You hear that there's someone who can heal anything with his hands? Take your father and drag him there." He also described his father's surgery and the aftermath thusly: "They operated on him, twelve hours of surgery, and afterward he seemed almost on the verge of recovery. Then complications arose. A nurse, moved by compassion, confessed to me almost in tears that in their haste to open and close it, they had forgotten some gauze inside, which had caused an infection." graduating with a from the classical lyceum named after Giuseppe Arimondi, and could not finish his studies in Economics and Business at the University of Turin. He decided to left university to start a political career and joined the youth wing of the DC. In the past, the official website of the Chamber of Deputies and the Italian Wikipedia wrongly reported that Crosetto had completed his studies and had a degree .

Political career Mayor of Marene During the 1980s, Crosetto became more active politically in the Christian-democratic mold of his mother. who at that time was Prime Minister of Italy. As a result of his early political rise and member of DC, among those who distinguishing themselves for their political aggressiveness, ambition, and the energy with which they rose to the party's top ranks, he is referred to as a former "young Christian Democrat lion". Crosetto's civic list proved successful in the following years, electing as mayors Edoardo Pelissero and Roberta Barbero. In 2022, Crosetto said of his time as mayor: "First I bought the Town Hall. And then I redid everything, from the football fields to the square, to the social services." In his 2025 autobiography, Crosetto recalled that "the rift between law and jurisprudence began: it doesn't matter what the code provides, what the law says, but what a judge thinks and how he decides to interpret the law at his own discretion. This extremely dangerous trend still leads to convictions for invented crimes ... A true disgrace to the law. The fact remains that, at that time, the judiciary also became a key player in the selection of the Italian business class." He was provincial councilor of Cuneo from 1999 to 2009, serving as group leader of FI, He had joined FI in 2000, and also chaired the Conference of Mayors of the Savigliano-Saluzzo-Fossano ASL from 1993 to 1997. For the 2008 Italian general election, Crosetto joined Berlusconi's new party, the PdL, with which he was elected again to the Chamber of Deputies. On 14 November 2012, he was awarded the Gold Medal of Merit of the Italian Red Cross. In June 2011, he stated that the 2011 military intervention in Libya had cost Italy €150 million. Later that month, Crosetto accused Giulio Tremonti, the then Minister of Economy and Finance of seeking to bring down the government, highlighting growing tensions between the two politicians. On 29 June 2011, he apologised to Tremonti for the tone of his previous remarks, while continuing to express disagreement with him. In August 2011, Crosetto strongly criticised statements by Italy of Values (IdV) deputies Antonio Di Pietro and Massimo Donadi and the then Puglia president Nichi Vendola of Left Ecology Freedom (SEL), describing their positions as disconnected from reality. On the same day, he supported the proposal to allow the purchase of Italian government bonds (BTPs), in the context of the financial crisis affecting Italy.

On 10 August 2011, in an interview with Il Mattino, Crosetto advocated a one-off wealth tax as a means of addressing the financial crisis more rapidly. The following day, he warned that his vote on the government's economic decree could not be taken for granted, continuing his opposition to Tremonti's approach. On 14 August 2011, Crosetto was identified among the PdL dissidents preparing alternative proposals concerning the government's austerity measures. On 23 August 2011, he called for the continuation of reform while criticising the Northern League for what he described as mistakes, including its position on the Libyan intervention. In October 2011, Crosetto continued to present himself as a politician willing to take positions “against the current”, reflecting his increasingly independent stance within the governing centre-right coalition.

Following Berlusconi's resignation in November 2011, Crosetto criticised the formation of the technical government led by pro-austerity economist Mario Monti. Starting in July 2011, he had already begun to strongly challenge the decisions Tremonti and the Berlusconi government, including Claudio Scajola, and distinguished himself for his outspokenness and independence. The other members to vote against were a fellow PdL member (also against the party line) and Northern League (LN) members in the Chambers of Deputies, while the LN senators and two other senators, one from the PdL and one from IdV, voted against the treaty in the Senate of the Republic.

Brothers of Italy In December 2012, Crosetto left the PdL and co-founded FdI, Upon its founding, FdI was referred to as representative of the anti-Monti right-wing. which remained an ally but alternative of Berlusconi and the PdL. Despite the split, Berlusconi continued to express esteem towards Crosetto, who recalled that he had hoped Crosetto would have joined him in the new Forza Italia (FI) following the end of the PdL. He failed to be elected in the 2013 Italian general election because FdI votes did not exceed the electoral threshold, In November 2013, he said that he would not be electoral allies with Berlusconi and Angelino Alfano.

Crosetto ran in the 2014 European Parliament election in Italy but was not elected because once again FdI votes did not exceed the threshold set at 4% for European elections in Italy. On the same day, Crosetto ran in the 2014 Piedmontese regional election as the FdI candidate for president of Piedmont, and ran alone outside the centre-right coalition led by Berlusconi's FI, stating that Piedmont had been "sacrificed to Berlusconi's troubles". The regionalist LN led by Matteo Salvini was allied with FI against FdI, supporting Gilberto Pichetto Fratin's candidacy. In the election, which was won by Sergio Chiamparino of the centre-left coalition, Crosetto finished in fourth place, gaining 5.2% of votes.

Crosetto returned to politics when the deputy and fellow Cuneo native Daniela Santanchè, a right-wing businesswoman and former member of the PdL and FI in Lombardy, joined Meloni's FdI in December 2017. Crosetto and Santanchè represented the small and medium-sized enterprises of northern Italy, where they ran as FdI's candidates in the 2018 Italian general election, with Crosetto again serving since 28 January 2018 as FdI's national coordinator. They respectively became members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic because the party's electoral support increased, with FdI candidates being elected across multiple regions, and were among the four members from Cuneo to be elected (the others were Emma Bonino and Laura Ravetto). surpassing 4.3% of votes at the national level for the first time. The party won around 16% of the votes in the constituency of Marene, Crosetto's hometown.

After his election as deputy, Crosetto became a member of the Budget, Treasury, and Programming Commission. In December 2018, Crosetto's speech to the Chamber of Deputies during the approval of the 2019 budget law was applauded and went viral, even earning the "comrade" (compagno) label by La Repubblica. Crosetto later commented: "You've heard speeches like the one in the Chamber before; when I lambasted Berlusconi, when I clashed with Tremonti or Scajola, when I voted against the fiscal compact. The paths are varied, but one tries to maintain consistency." Although he left his role as the party's national coordinator upon his resignation, and said in 2022 that he was no longer The Right Honourable, the honorifix title for the Italian members of Parliament or ministers, but was a simple citizen. FdI, which joined the European Parliament as a member of European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), in the third ballot. La Russa said that originally they had proposed Carlo Nordio but ultimately chose Crosetto out of respect and to reflect FdI's political power within the centre-right coalition. In July 2022, a snap election was called after the 2022 Italian government crisis, which brought to the fall of the national unity government of Mario Draghi opposed by FdI, stating before the call for a snap election that he was not afraid of the ballot box. Crosetto said that this was as a result of Draghi's political inexperience, which negatively affected him, and that the governing coalition was torn up. He said that if FdI was to become the largest party of the centre-right coalition, it would remain faithful and would not affect regional governments, explicitly citing as example the regional government of Alberto Cirio of FI in Piedmont. In response to rumours about him becoming Prime Minister or Minister of Defence, he said that he supported Meloni becoming Prime Minister as she would be the most voted party leader and that it would seem "inappropriate, given my job" if he were to become Minister of Defence. FdI became the largest party in the country, gaining more than 26% of votes and the centre-right coalition won a clear majority in both houses of the Italian Parliament. In ten years, the party he helped to found had started from 2% and reached 26% to became the most voted party. Although he did not run in the 2022 Italian general election, Crosetto campaigned for FdI and Meloni, who became the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Italy, especially to politically convince fellow entrepreneurs in northern Italy. He was among the first to comment on the results, stating: "The data speaks for itself: Italians have decided to put their trust in Giorgia Meloni. Not all of them, but a large portion." He added that he was not worried about Lega and FI being under 10%, stating that the coalition had "held up" well and was legitimised by the result, and this was "no time for political games". He was rumoured to be appointed Minister of Economic Development.

Minister of Defence

On 22 October 2022, Crosetto was appointed Minister of Defence in the Meloni government. As a result, he was also appointed Chancellor and Treasurer of the Military Order of Italy. among the issues Crosetto found upon his appointment as defence minister were the Russo-Ukrainian war, the commitments made to increase the defence sector's GDP share to 2%, and the modernisation of equipment. In February 2023, he stated that the Ukrainian resistance was "a battle for freedom, a battle for international law, a battle for Europe". Moreover, he added that the NATO military support to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government prevented the break out of World War III, which would have been inevitable if "Russian tanks reached Kyiv". Due to his statements, Crosetto became the target of attacks from members of the Russian government and elite. Former president Dmitry Medvedev labeled him as "foolish", while Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, heavily insulted him. On 15 March 2023, the Italian newspaper Il Foglio reported that the Wagner Group put a €15 million bounty on Crosetto. In June 2023, Crosetto reiterated Italy's support for Ukraine amid further bombing from Russia while calling for a diplomatic solution.

In August 2023, Crosetto spoke of "personal ravings" in relation to Roberto Vannacci's book, which was widely described as containing homophobic and racist statements, while many members of the Meloni government defended or downplayed Vannacci and his controversial statements. Vannacci, a general of the Italian Army, was dismissed by Crosetto, who said that in relation to the Vannacci affair he acted as minister rather than politician. Crosetto said that he would do what he did again, referring to defending the institutions. Crosetto also defended himself from criticism across the political spectrum, and added that there were rules that must be respected and that he would have done the same had Vannacci wrote a book arguing opposing theses. In a note in December 2023, he said that Vannacci had been replaced, and not dismissed, by an explicit decision of the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army. In February 2024, Vannacci's attorney said that Crosetto had ordered an 11-month disciplinary suspension for Vannacci. In April 2024, Crosetto criticised the candidacy of Vannacci to the European Parliament.

In January 2024, Crosetto condemned the commemorations of the Acca Larentia killings, which included fascist salutes, stating that he always condemnded fascist salutes and was politically distant from "any manifestation that recalls past regimes". Following Russian propaganda taking advantage of this by widely sharing the images of the fascist salutes, which went viral worldwide, and the fact that FdI is the heir of the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI), Crosetto and the opposition attacked each other by claiming that the other was promoting or favouring Russia's propaganda. The Union of Italian Jewish Communities president Noemi Di Segni called for new and stronger laws to contain neo-fascism and nostalgic neo-fascist apologists.

During his ministry, Crosetto often criticised the migration policies promoted by Germany and its chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying that he would have expected from Germany more "assistance and solidarity" with Italy in its "moment of difficulty" as it coped with the rise of immigrants within the country. In May 2024, he criticised Israel's actions during the Rafah offensive in the Gaza Strip. After a few days, he expressed opposition to the use of Western-supplied weapons for attacks inside Russia and stressed the need to "leave open the possibility of negotiating an immediate truce and initiating peace talks in the coming months". On 10 October 2024, Israeli troops opened fire at three UNIFIL positions in South Lebanon, including UNIFIL's main base at Naqoura, in the area of responsibility of the Italian contingent. The attack damaged communication systems between the base and the UNIFIL command in Naqoura. Crosetto described the attack as a "possible war crime" and urgently summoned the Israeli ambassador to Italy over the events that occurred at the UNIFIL bases, where Italian personnel operate. He also contacted Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for a discussion and a formal protest asking for guarantees on the safety of Italian personnel and UNIFIL bases.

On 31 May 2025, Crosetto said like "all Italian governments, we are friends of Israel" but that Israeli raids in Gaza City were unjustified and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "must stop them: this is how the spiral of hatred grows". In October 2025, Crosetto was denounced by the Jurists and Lawyers for Palestine group to the International Criminal Court for alleged complicity in war crimes and the Gaza genocide, such as by providing the supply of armaments and military and technological cooperation that aided the Israeli military offensives, while another denounce was related to ascertain whether the Meloni government had responsibility for not protecting the Global Sumud Flotilla from the Israeli blockade. Among the other Meloni government figures cited were Meloni as the prime minister and Antonio Tajani as the foreign minister, alongside the Leonardo defence company and its CEO Roberto Cingolani. In response, Crosetto said in December 2025 that he had sued "all the disgusting people who connect us to the genocide".

On 9 October 2025, Crosetto expressed his willingness to send armed forces as part of an Italian peace mission in Gaza, stating: "The Armed Forces are ready to play their part, as they have always demonstrated, in all the international missions in which they participate. Italy is there and always will be there when it comes to helping and supporting peace processes." As European countries, such as France and Germany, re-introduced the military service or strengthened the military, while other countries kept an obligatory military service, Crosetto said in November 2025 that he would present a draft bill reintroducing military service in Italy, clarifying that it would be on a voluntary basis. In January 2026, amid increased international tensions, Crosetto presented seven new spending programmes for the Italian Armed Forces, bringing the total number of armament projects to 74. The proposed total military and defence investments would exceed €60 billion, with costs rising for some projects. He also warned of the risk of a wider escalation, including the possibility of nuclear war, and argued that Italy should avoid direct involvement in the conflict while protecting its personnel and national interests. In response to Iranian attacks on Gulf states, Italy provided or prepared additional air-defence and counter-drone capabilities for regional partners, while Crosetto said that several Gulf countries had requested Italian air-defence systems, including the SAMP/T. From March 2026, around 400 Italian Air Force personnel were deployed to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, including four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft tasked with helping defend assigned airspace. Crosetto rejected opposition criticism that the deployment lacked adequate parliamentary authorisation, arguing that its legal and operational framework had been presented to Parliament with full transparency.

Crosetto opposed the use of Italian military facilities for activities directly connected with the offensive against Iran, while maintaining that existing agreements allowed the United States to use Italian bases for activities falling within their established framework. In April 2026, he said that Italy had refused permission for US military aircraft to use Naval Air Station Sigonella for purposes outside the existing agreements and warned that the war was threatening US global leadership and increasing the danger of nuclear escalation. In August 2026, the Italian government formally requested €8 billion from the EU's Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence funding programme, a decision strongly supported by Crosetto because of the lower borrowing costs offered by the scheme. On 28 August, Crosetto announced that former Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov had accepted a position as innovation adviser to the Italian Ministry of Defence, with the aim of helping Italy adopt modern warfare technologies and strengthen its defence capabilities.

Image Public image

Due to his height and size, reported to be and around , and "The Friendly Giant" (il gigante amico). became a classic of the iconography of the Melonian refoundation.

A "larger-than-life" figure, outspoken but not aggressive, and partisan but also bipartisan, who did not grow up in far-right politics like other FdI members and co-founders, During his career, Crosetto was known for expressing criticism of Berlusconi and his party, for example Berlusconi's decision to cancel the scheduled 2012 PdL primary elections.

Within a context that saw FdI rise from 4.3% to 6.5%, overtaking FI in late 2019 polls with 10% to become the second party of the centre-right coalition,

Political views and commentary Domestic issues Social and economic policies

In 2013, Crosetto criticised a homophobic spot by FdI, going as far as to call the two authors , stating: "Any manifestation of intolerance is unacceptable." In February 2023, he helped to create a centrist electoral list and support FI for the 2024 European elections and secure the continuation of a stable majority in the Italian government. In October 2024, he said that he has friends among the parliamentary opposition and described the PD secretary Elly Schlein as a good person. Due to his moderate views, Crosetto was said to represent the left wing of the right, although he responded that left-wing does not really work as a label for him, who still sees himself as a Christian democrat. He warned that "either we get out of the crisis by helping each other, or we will fail".

Anti-fascism

As a representative of the moderate wing of FdI, Crosetto is open to the possibility of the tricolour flame, which is reminiscent of the party's neo-fascist origins through the MSI, to be removed from the party logo. In January 2019, this caused an uproars among other party members.

In February 2018, in response to Roberto Speranza's comments about the anti-fascist demonstration in Rome and the lack of presence by FdI ("You should have been in the square tomorrow. I'm sorry you're not there; it's a serious mistake"), Crosetto responded from Piedmont, stating: "If I were in Rome, if I weren't in my homeland engaged in a difficult election campaign, I'd be with you. So I authorise you to say that I'm with you, as national coordinator of Brothers of Italy." His comments were criticised from the right, including by fellow party member Pasquale Viespoli. Despite these incidents, Crosetto said in 2025 that an anti-fascist like him has never felt out of place in FdI, saying: "I founded that party. Maybe I'm annoying to some, some might even hope I leave sooner or later; but they've never said that to my face. I'm still two meters tall!" elaborating: "I can accept a reduction within the framework of an institutional reform that changes the powers of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate and perhaps introduces presidentialism. However, always with the intention of giving representation to the local areas. If we do it this way, we have to reduce them because they are ugly and evil and parliament is useless... that doesn't seem like a justification to me." Asked on whether he would vote in the 2025 Italian referendum, as the government parties called for an abstention vote in order not to reach the required 50% turnout quorum, Crosetto expressed his negative view of trade unionist and CGIL secretary Maurizio Landini, stating: "I'll decide whether to vote on 8 June. But I confess to an old prejudice: if Landini says one thing, I feel like doing the opposite. Always."

As a supporter of the justice reform approved by the Meloni government and a critic of the National Association of Magistrates (ANM), accusing the ANM of defending their privileges, Crosetto commented on the 2026 Italian referendum to confirm the constitutional reform, stating: "A referendum usually means giving the people the final say, so when you express your opinion, you acknowledge what the people have decided. The challenge is making sure people understand what we're talking about. I don't think this reform contains anything negative." Observing that the career separation of public prosecutors and judges (or magistrates) is a commonality among most democratic system and that in this Italy is the exception, Crosetto addressed concerns from critics and the opposition that it was a bad reform and it would cause the judiciary of Italy to be controlled by the executive branch, stating: "In democratic countries—I'm thinking of Spain, France, and Germany—the judicial system is completely different because, for example, public prosecutors in these three countries are subject to the executive branch. This doesn't happen in Italy; they will remain free to practice without any influence from the executive branch." the most likely date for the referendum is March 2026.

European Union In May 2014, as a candidate for the European Parliament, Crosetto said in relation to illegal immigration that to seriously address the issue there would need "a Europe that doesn't exist", stating that "Europe must address the unjust fate of entire African peoples. It's clear that Italy alone isn't enough. Thinking that this is an Italian issue and can be resolved by three Italian navy ships is foolish." In September 2022, Crosetto said: "The government does not represent a coalition but a nation; Europe cannot avoid dialogue ... the European Union has internal contradictions, but it can do anything except engage in dialogue with nations." During the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, while supportive of COVID-19 vaccines, Crosetto was critical of the Green Pass on the grounds that it was discriminatory, stating: "You can't go to restaurants, but you can go on the bus and subway. What's the point?"

Regarding the most controversial points that emerged during the 2022 election campaign, namely the changes to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) as part of Next Generation EU, Crosetto said that "no one wants to revise the PNRR guidelines, but from the time of the forecast to today, the cost of the works has increased by 20 percent." Four days earlier, the Chamber of Deputies' Foreign Affairs Committee had approved the basic text of the bill for ratification; the parties supporting the government did not participate in the vote.

In March 2025, Crosetto told Geppi Cucciari and Giorgio Lauro that the name ReArm Europe was "one of the stupidest gifts one could give to those who don't believe defence is a relevant issue", elaborating: "My colleagues and I have explained that the issue isn't rearmament but rather the construction of a defence, which are two completely different things. Defend Europe would be better. Rearmament is part of defence. Israel suffered a missile attack in three hours, which it managed to stop 98% of the way: well, my European colleagues and I would like us to be able to stop it the same way if something like that were to happen in our countries. If it were to happen today in Italy, we wouldn't be able to." He also stated: "I am experiencing this period with great personal difficulty. I am seen as the one who supports weapons, the one who wants war. There is this strange idea that there is a country we don't care about, which is bothering us. That by being at peace, it is forcing us to do things we shouldn't do, that it is that country's fault if inflation rises. That country has been invaded." In the 125-page paper "Countering Hybrid Warfare: An Active Strategy" published in November 2025, he condemned the Russian hybrid war and lamented the lack of actions from the European Union (EU) and NATO, writing: "The hybrid war is continual and attacks critical infrastructure, decision-making centers, essential services and the fabric of each country, with daily and growing risks of catastrophic damage. We are under attack and the hybrid bombs continue to fall: The time to act is now."

In March 2025, on the issue on whether there would be Italian soldiers guarding the Ukrainian border, Crosetto said: "This debate is surreal and premature at the same time. Because the truce will be the product of conditions that will have to be accepted by everyone, including the Russians. This is the European Union's concern, which is not included at that table." and stated: "It seems true, and it's even nice to say, but I have the problem of being too rational. Sweden, a non-aligned and non-partisan country for 70 years, asked to join NATO. It did so after the Ukrainian invasion, and it took two and a half years. If free and democratic nations decide to join an exclusively defensive alliance, are they encircling someone or are they defending themselves from those they fear?" In March 2025, said that the 20th century had been "the century of great wars and great dictatorships", which was followed by "the century of great democracies". As a result, Crosetto suggested that the Italian government should draw the consequences and work towards the federalisation of the EU and make it a state.

On 6 December 2025, Crosetto published a long post on X (formerly Twitter), expressing his views about the second Trump administration's relations with this "small, slow, and old" Europe as President Trump made it clear that he does not need Europe and that they see themselves in competition for supremacy and superpower status with China, stating: "The trajectory of American politics was evident even before the arrival of Trump who only accelerated an irreversible path." He further wrote: "The bad news is that we should (in my opinion, we should) think about what our American allies have provided us, free of charge, up to now: security, defence, and deterrence. I'm not just talking about military ones." As a result, he called for a series of reforms "not to exercise supremacy over anyone but to guarantee our future".

On 13 December 2025, Crosetto said he was "disappointed" it was the United States that intervened "to negotiate a peace in the heart of Europe", He was reported to have spoken with Meloni and her aides. defending Palestine's right to exist and statehood and Israel's right to live in security, which means that "Hamas terrorism must be eradicated at the same time." On the Gaza war, Crosetto represented the more critical views of Israel's handling of the war within the Meloni government, which was more supportive of Israel, placed caveats to Palestinian statehood, and refrained from criticism and the use of strong words by Crosetto, who earned the praise of some parliamentary opposition figures, such as Alessandra Maiorino of the M5S. In May 2024, Crosetto expressed the feeling that "Israel risks sowing hatred that will involve its children. I understand the reaction after the Hamas massacre of 7 October, but Hamas is one thing, the Palestinian people are another." In May 2025, while reiterating that the Italian government remained a friend of Israel, he claimed to have been "the first to distance myself from Netanyahu's actions". elaborating: "What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable. We are not facing a military operation with collateral damage, but the pure denial of the law and the founding values of our civilisation. We are committed to humanitarian aid, but beyond condemnation, we must find a way to force Netanyahu to think. It's one thing to free Gaza from Hamas, another from the Palestinians. The former can be called liberation. Expelling a people from their land, however, is quite another." In September 2025, in response to the growing criticism, the Meloni government announced a motion to recognise Palestine with the condition that all Israeli hostages are released and that Hamas is excluded from any form of government, and Crosetto announced the dispatch of a frigate, the Virginio Fasan, to support the Global Sumud Flotilla. Crosetto explained that "in a democracy, even demonstrations and forms of protest must be protected, when they are conducted in compliance with international law and without resorting to violence."

Personal life Marriage and family In 2005, Crosetto began a relationship with Gaia Saponaro, a former volleyball player from Apulia who worked in London, Hong Kong, and Sydney, whom he married on 4 July 2015. As a result, his wife is also referred to as Gaia Crosetto. Together, they have two children. and he described himself as a "fulfilled and happy father". a volleyball player from the Czech Republic, with a son born in 1997. In his last tax return from 2000, before entering politics, Crosetto reported ₤12 billion, which is equivalent to around €6 million as of 2022. In 2025, he was a victim of false impersonation as scammers, who posed as Crosetto, attempted to defraud at least ten prominent businessmen, and were able to obtain two bank transfers of around €1 million connected to the oil tycoon and former Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti. In February 2026, during a family holiday in Dubai, Crosetto was temporarily stranded in the United Arab Emirates after commercial flights were suspended following the United States and Israel's attacks on Iran. He had travelled from Rome on a civilian flight to join his family, who were already in Dubai, and had originally been scheduled to return to Italy the following day. On 1 March, Crosetto announced that he would return to Italy alone on a military aircraft in order to avoid exposing others to further risk, while his family would remain in Dubai.

In 2025, Crosetto published (Stories of a Provincial Boy), his autobiography. In March 2025, Crosetto said that among the worst moments in his life was his return by helicopter from Herat to carry the coffins of people who had died on an international peacekeeping mission, including one who had died knowingly because he threw himself on a land mine when he realised it would explode and he had to defuse it, and threw himself forward to protect the people behind him, an action that Crosetto described as "the opposite of what any human being would do: when you understand the danger, you instinctively move away. Instead, the desire to protect his other colleagues prevailed over the instinct for survival. It's something that deeply struck me; it means that man had a sense of duty, of institutions, of his commitment that was extraordinary." For example, in relation to the apology of fascism, his nephew condemned the commemorations of the Acca Larentia killings with the fascist salute, as did Crosetto himself, and also criticised FdI members who took part at the presentation of the controversial book of Vannacci, who had been dismissed as a result by Crosetto in his role as defence minister. In the 2024 European Parliament election in Piedmont, Crosetto's nephew was elected to the European Parliament, with around 34,000 preferential votes in the North-East Italy constituency, of which 19,643 in Piedmont, where he was the only elected candidate to the European Parliament. About their relations, his nephew was often quoted as saying: "I'm lucky to have a truly paternal relationship with my uncle, he's a teacher, he gives me advice and shows me the path to follow." a charity organisation, being described as a "close friend of the foundation", which he prevented from going into administration. In April 2020, he was appointed chairman of Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, a company created as a joint venture between Fincantieri and Leonardo, which operates in the naval engineering and systems sector, designing and building military naval units, in particular corvettes, frigates, and aircraft carriers. Crosetto was also a shareholder in six Italian companies, including CSC & Partners, which was founded in 2021 in Rome and operated in lobbying services. In October 2025, he underwent surgery, which successfully removed three colonic neoplasms.

Social media Crosetto is active on social media, As a former heavy smoker, he often shares on social media his struggles with diet and health, and his feelings for his wife and children. In August 2021, Crosetto defended singer Emma Marrone from death threats as a result of her progressive and left-leaning views and the announcement that she had ovarian cancer and wanted to be a single mom.

On social media, Crosetto did not exempt from criticism part of the Meloni government's majority, such as Lega senator Claudio Borghi, who is opposed to Italian military aids to Ukraine. In November 2025, in response to Borghi's rhetorical question ("But what if the US were to attack Venezuela? Will we send 12 weapons packages to Maduro?"), Crosetto said: "No, you can rest assured, Claudio, especially because they've never invaded a country to permanently occupy its territory under the pretext that some people spoke English. It's just one of the many differences with Russia." Crosetto is a supporter of Juventus. He is one of the founders of the Juventus Club in the Chamber of Deputies. For example, Piero Fassino of The Union, the centre-left coalition that had just defeated Berlusconi's, invoked the clemency of the judges, who had been appointed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) special commissioner Guido Rossi, and this was not unprecedented as an amnesty was issued under similar conditions in 1982. Crosetto said: "I wouldn't want only those who have friends in The Union, like Fiorentina, to be acquitted." In 2010, the controversies prompted a proposal of a parliamentary inquiry commission about the 2003–2006 Italian football years and the role of politics and the media in the 2006 scandal and the Calciopoli bis developments in subsequent years. During the 2022 Italian presidential election, he joked that he would rather be president of the Juventus Club in Parliament. As defence minister after having headed the arms industry association Confindustria, in response to those who accused him of a conflict of interest, he cited football and rhetorically asked: "Does anyone think that an Inter Milan player who played for AC Milan has a conflict of interest during the derby and could favor his former team? If anything, the conflict would exist if I had continued to do both things together. I had the 'non-conflict"' formally certified, and not by just anyone, but by the authority delegated to the matter. My expertise in the matter, if anything, is an advantage for the government. Not to mention that I'm the only one who knows the 'secrets' of the former team." which resulted in an investigation revealing the illegal dossiering and spying of bank accounts of around 740 VIPs and political figures, including not only Crosetto himself among other politicians and entrepreneurs, but also Juventus (the only Italian football club to be victim of the alleged illegal spying, with the other football figure being FIGC president Gabriele Gravina), in particular the figures of Andrea Agnelli, Allegri, and Cristiano Ronaldo dating back to at least 2021. Crosetto's complaint and the resulting investigation earned the attention of the Anti-Mafia Commission and the magistrate Raffaele Cantone from Perugia, where Pasquale Striano, the investigated financier who allegedly made over 800 illegal accesses to the files within the scope of approximately 5,000 database accesses carried out since 2018 and claimed to have done so due to legitimate reasons for investigation, worked as an agent (rank of official) of Italy's Judiciary Police . Dating back to 2018, leaks to the media resulted in the Luis Suárez affair and later in 2021 to a financial scandal and criminal investigation involving Juventus, which was acquitted in two sports proceedings and also received threats due to its support for the ultimately failed European Super League project, causing several commentators to wonder whether there was any connection, if there was one or more instigators, and if the goal was to specifically and negatively hit Juventus. The Anti-Mafia Commission public prosecutor Giovanni Melillo described the alleged facts, resulting from Crosetto's complaint, as "hardly compatible with the logic of individual deviation" and spoke of "extreme gravity".

Electoral history ElectionHouseConstituencyPartyVotesResult 2001 Chamber of Deputies Piedmont 2 – Alba FI 45,225 Elected 2006 Chamber of Deputies Piedmont 1 FI – Elected 2008 Chamber of Deputies Piedmont 1 PdL – Elected 2013 Senate of the Republic Piedmont FdI – 2014 European Parliament North-West Italy FdI 29,305 Not elected 2018 Chamber of Deputies Lombardy 3 FdI – Elected