In Rome, with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a meeting was held with the leaders of countries belonging to the Coalition of the Willing and leaders of international organizations. The event brought together delegates from 32 countries.
The meeting was also attended by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.
The President of Ukraine expressed his gratitude to all those participating in person and online, and thanked Giorgia Meloni for organizing the event. He also highlighted the fact that representatives of the United States were present at a meeting in this format for the first time.
"I thank President Trump. His signals are very, very important, and we are counting on them. I am sure that in the future, we will develop the Coalition of the Willing together, and this is important," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The meeting focused on opportunities to procure a weapons package to save lives, financing Ukraine's Defense Forces, and increasing investments in weapons production, in particular drones.
"Today, we worked very specifically on the issue of drone funding. Interceptor drones and everything needed for long-range strikes are an obvious priority," the President emphasized.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer and President of France Emmanuel Macron joined the meeting online from London and informed the participants about the results of discussions regarding plans to deploy an international reassurance force in Ukraine after the cessation of hostilities.
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron condemned Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities. As Russia shows no readiness to end its aggression, the Coalition of the Willing must contribute to achieving peace by supporting Ukraine and applying further pressure on Moscow, including through sanctions.
Giorgia Meloni underscored the importance of aligning the efforts of the Coalition of the Willing with those of the United States to achieve a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The President of the Council of Ministers of Italy believes that it is precisely the deterrence of Russia and pressure on it that will contribute to ending the war.
"This is what we have to deliver on, and this is what the innocent victims, their families, and those wanting to rebuild expect from us. But it is also what our citizens, which are tired of the consequences of meaningless aggression that has brought the war back in the heart of Europe, ask from us," Giorgia Meloni stated.
