Italy on Friday urged "extreme caution" in assessing claims earlier this week by a Ukrainian nationalist group that Russian forces had deployed chemical weapons in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
"We seek to prevent the use of chemical weapons, and are extremely careful in verifying if such an attack really occurred," Di Maio told public broadcaster RAI's 'Today is another Day' programme.
International experts expressed scepticism over a video posted Tuesday to the Telegram messaging app by the Azov battalion showing three alleged victims of a chemical attack, who did not appear seriously harmed in an incident that appeared to be limited in scope.
The far-right-linked Azov battalion was also behind reports of a chemical attack in Mariupol circulating Monday on social media. The reports alleged the Russians had used “a poisonous substance of unknown origin” and described victims as having respiratory failure.
The UK and US governments are continuing to investigate the Azov battalion's allegations.
