Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome today.
"We consider support for Ukraine as strategic, since the security of Europe is also at stake. Italy aims to contribute to reaching solutions acceptable to all, which can protect the sovereignty of Kiev," the Italian Prime Minister declared after the meeting ended.
"Within the framework of the G7 countries, we will continue to promote economic pressure measures against Russia and work to guarantee financial support for Ukraine, as decided by the European Council," she added.
Meloni also stressed that her country hopes to start the process of Ukraine's accession to the European Union and that Italy aims to develop joint drone production with Kiev, "a sector in which Ukraine has secured a key role."
The Ukrainian president and the Italian prime minister also referred to the war in Iran. "We continue to believe in the ceasefire and hope that the peace process can resume, even though the situation remains difficult," declared the head of the Italian government. "I want to recall the solidarity that our two countries have shown, especially towards the Gulf states," Meloni added.
For his part, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that his country cooperates with Italy to ensure security and thanked the Italian prime minister "for the personal efforts she is making to protect European interests."
"We discussed the situation in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. It is important that, after this conflict, security is increased - it is an issue that affects the whole world. The cost of living is rising for everyone, while the risks in the energy field are increasing. We need an effective defense system and our goal is to combine our capabilities with those of our partners. There is interest from Italy and we are working to increase cooperation between defense sector companies," the Ukrainian president said, among other things. /Panorama
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