On 2 September 1933, in Rome, Fascist Italy and the Soviet Union sign the Pact of Friendship, Neutrality and Non-Aggression — the political accord consolidating bilateral relations amid Hitler’s rise.

Signatories are Benito Mussolini and Soviet ambassador Vladimir Potemkin (for the USSR CEC). The parties undertake not to resort to war against each other, to remain neutral if the other is attacked by a third state, and not to conclude agreements directed against the partner.

Modelled on the Soviet–German Berlin Treaty, the pact was ratified in October 1933; instruments were exchanged in Moscow on 15 December. It remained in force until 22 June 1941, when Italy declared war on the USSR.

Relations were strained by the Spanish Civil War, Italian aid to Finland and Italy’s joining the Anti-Comintern Pact.

For interwar diplomacy, 2 September 1933 marks the Rome signature.

The text appears in official Soviet collections (Sobranie zakonov / DVP).

The Italo-Soviet Pact of 2 September 1933 remains the Rome–Moscow rapprochement milestone.

Image: Rome; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Italo-Soviet Pact. Treaty text: Docs.HistoryRussia — Italy–USSR Friendship Treaty (2 September 1933).