Italy's Matteo Salvini, head of the anti-immigrant League party, defended himself Wednesday following questions about unauthorised meetings with Russians since the invasion of Ukraine.
Parliament's security committee, Copasir, has opened an investigation into the talks conducted apparently without the knowledge of Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who has strongly backed sanctions against Moscow.
"You have to work with ambassadors and governments of many countries to achieve peace," Salvini, whose party is a member of Draghi's governing coalition, wrote on Twitter.
Salvini dined with Russia's ambassador to Italy, Sergej Razov, on March 1, just days after Russia invaded Ukraine, according to the Domani daily.
The newspaper said the embassy in Rome had confirmed the meeting. It also reported that the pair met three more times.
Salvini has long pursued close ties with Moscow and in the past has proudly posed in T-shirts bearing the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He was allegedly accompanied in his talks by Antonio Capuano, an informal foreign policy advisor who says he is a lawyer with experience in diplomacy.
Capuano claims to have been helping Salvini organise a visit to Moscow to unveil a four-point peace plan.
- 'No secrets' -
Salvini said Wednesday he had not planned to meet Putin during any Moscow trip, but was in contact with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"The Russians understood Salvini wanted to go all out" for peace, "and they invited him to take other steps", Capuano told the Corriere della Sera daily.
He insisted there were "no secrets" while Salvini, who mentioned the first meeting during a television interview in March, says it was all above board.
Draghi's office told AFP it had not been told about any meetings -- and Capuano insisted the premier would have been informed before any action was taken, adding: "We would have abided by his decision."
When asked by reporters about Salvini's activities this week, Draghi said it was important that relations with Russia are "transparent".
Adolfo Urso, head of Copasir, said the investigating committee would question Capuano as "standard procedure when issues concerning the security of the Republic emerge".
The affair has ruffled feathers within Salvini's League ahead of local elections this month.
"We must act in concert with the government," said Giancarlo Giorgetti, a key figure in the party and minister for economic development.
The centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which is also part of the government, accused Capuano of being a "consultant for the Russian embassy".
"While the crisis was happening, there were negotiations... between the Russian invader and an Italian government party," PD leader Enrico Letta said.
"We want answers."