Matteo Salvini, with Vladimir Putin, said it was important for Italy to have good relations with Russia

Italy’s hardline interior minister has given his most enthusiastic backing yet to President Putin, with an attack on European Union sanctions and a push for collaboration with the Kremlin in Libya and on cybersecurity.

At a press conference in Moscow Matteo Salvini declared that “having good relations with Russia is an intelligent move for Italy and the West”.

Mr Salvini has ignored US and European allegations of Russian cybercrimes since he entered Italy’s new populist government, in which he is also the deputy prime minister. The administration has sought to end the sanctions against Russia imposed over its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Mr Salvini, the leader of the anti-immigrant League party, said yesterday that he had discussed the sharing of information between Italy and