In Rome, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni discussed the strengthening of security cooperation, further support for Ukraine, and efforts to achieve peace.
The Head of State thanked Giorgia Meloni for the unwavering support of Ukraine, respect for our country, its independence, territorial integrity, and our people. He highlighted Italy’s political, security, economic, and humanitarian assistance, including support for Ukraine’s energy sector during this winter.
“We work together with Italy and with partners to guarantee security in every sense of the word and to ensure that relations between us are always friendly and meaningful,” emphasized Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The President informed Giorgia Meloni about the situation at the front and Russia’s air attacks. Even on Easter, Russia continued assaults on the front. The Head of State stressed that one of the main priorities is strengthening air defense. The leaders discussed Ukraine’s needs and the possibilities of working together on air defense production.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Giorgia Meloni also spoke about the importance of continuing sanctions pressure on Russia.
“Italy continues to advance economic pressure on the Russian Federation within the Group of Seven and the European Union. The twentieth sanctions package, which Europe is now preparing to adopt, is an extremely important step to reduce the strength of Russia’s war machine,” noted the President of the Council of Ministers.
Particular attention was paid to the need to unblock the European support package for Ukraine worth €90 billion. The President highlighted Italy’s support in this matter.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Giorgia Meloni also focused on the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region, exchanging outcomes from talks with the leaders of the region and assessments of key positions.
“It is critical that after this war, there will be more security, not less, and that the interests of all nations are honored. What security will look like after this war is a global concern. And right now, all of us in Europe especially need to coordinate substantively – to safeguard both our interests and our way of life,” emphasized the President.
The parties discussed the special security agreement format developed by Ukraine – the Drone Deal.
“Our military expertise and defense capabilities in drones, missiles, electronic warfare, data sharing, and more. We propose combining all of this with our partners' capabilities. It is significant that Italy has shown interest in this format of cooperation. Giorgia and I agreed that our teams will work through the details of a Drone Deal between our countries,” said the Head of State.
Giorgia Meloni emphasized that, during the meeting, much attention was devoted to strengthening cooperation in the field of security and defense.
“Italy is interested in establishing joint production, especially in the sphere of drones. We know that over these years Ukraine has truly become advanced in this area,” she said.
The leaders discussed the course of peace negotiations and the next steps necessary to achieve peace. According to the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, her country will continue to provide all necessary support.
