Italian Defence Minister Guido Crozetto has not ruled out the possibility of a "political choice that will determine the end" of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Crozetto expressed the opinion in an interview with Corriere della Sera that the situation on the front "has reached a dead end, which makes us think about the long-term timing of the end of the war".

Crozetto said "the Ukrainian counter-offensive, as some had assumed, has encountered several difficulties. The Russian trenches are making it difficult for the [Ukrainian] army to attack."

"Therefore, it may be a political choice that will determine the end of the conflict. On the other hand, the time of Western countries is different from the time of autocracies," he said.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pledged further support for Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggression during a meeting at the White House.

Before that, Crozetto said that Italy would not join the coalition of countries that provide training for Ukrainian pilots and other personnel on F-16 fighter jets.

Back in May, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggested that Italy could join international efforts to train Ukrainian pilots on modern fighter jets, but that the supply of F-16s was out of the question because the country does not own them.