Sometimes an empty chair says more than all the speeches put together. Giorgia Meloni did not show up at the EU - Western Balkans summit held on June 4 and 5 in Tivat, even though her name stood in the official program. And in European diplomacy, absence is rarely accidental.

The Italian prime minister officially explained the no-show as running late due to a ceremony in Reggio Calabria - the 212th anniversary of the Italian Carabinieri, which dragged on longer than planned. But the Italian media read the scene differently: Meloni stepped back because she disagrees with the European approach toward Ukraine, especially after Zelensky's call for dialogue with Putin.

Rome's position is clear and isn't hidden. Italy refuses to send soldiers to Ukraine, and government representatives judge that any deal with Moscow is impossible without US involvement - even with combined „Anglo-French-German" diplomatic efforts. Translated: Europe can talk all it wants, but without Washington, words remain just words.

The rift among European leaders over Ukraine isn't new, but it's becoming ever more visible. And that's exactly what the Balkans watch with special attention - because at this summit, our region was the host, and the main topic was someone else's war. When the big ones divide among themselves, the small ones usually wait at the door to see whom they'll side with. The question is whether anyone even asks us at all.