ROME, Aug. 3 -- Giuseppe Conte has a phrase for what he says Europe lacks. The former Italian prime minister and current leader of the Five Star Movement told La Stampa newspaper on Sunday that France, Britain, and Germany should stop calling themselves a "coalition of the willing" and form instead a "European coalition of the brave" willing to push for negotiations rather than prolong the conflict in Ukraine through weapons deliveries. The phrase is designed to distinguish Five Star from the mainstream European posture, and to challenge the three governments it targets.

"I advocate a transition to negotiations, which Europe does not want," Conte told La Stampa. "Instead of calling ourselves a 'coalition of the willing,' I'm talking abou...