Dear participants of the Forum, dear Italy,
I’m glad to be with you today, even online.
Thank you for the invitation and for your attention to Ukraine, to our people. We really appreciate that people in Italy hear us, our people, and support us.
This week is almost over and it was full of important events.
Yesterday, we had a very successful, I think, meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris. Most of them were from Europe – all free European nations. But also were present partners from Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Italy has a very active role, and I thank Giorgia Meloni and her team. President Trump’s Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, also attended. We also spoke with President Trump – it was one of those talks that can help shape future policy. And before the meetings in France, there was another one in Copenhagen. It was with the Nordic and Baltic countries – one of the strongest partnerships. They support our defense and help us develop our defense industry. Not only in Ukraine. Right now, we’re building the first joint weapons plant in Denmark. It’s a modern facility. This is a part of our defense strategy – to build weapons together, to modernize defense production in Europe, and to unite Europe in this work. It’s crucial – for modern industry, strong jobs, and for Europe to stay competitive in the world. I hope that Italy will also join us in building these joint production projects. In fact Europe needs a new network of modern defense production – one where countries support each other by producing protection for themselves and for all of Europe. This will make Europe much stronger and more resilient.
So, I want to share a few thoughts, just some things that will definitely affect our shared security.
First – even though Russia is trying to keep this war going, we’ve already started building a security system that can push Russia toward peace.
Of course, I can’t share all the details now – many of them are very sensitive and military-related. But we are preparing strength – on the ground, in the air, and at sea – that, by simply working as planned, will pressure Russia to stop the war.
For example, if we have enough systems to shoot down Russian missiles and drones, including Iranian drones, Russia will have fewer chances to keep fighting. The main tool of Russia’s war is killing civilians in our cities – that’s why we are working with our partners to get more and better air defense systems, and also modern fighter jets – to limit Russia’s ability to attack. This will push them toward peace. And we really count on America’s support in this, and our teams, both European and American, will be working on it.
So, when we talk about security guarantees for Ukraine, there are 35 countries in the Coalition of the Willing and 26 of them are ready to help with real support for security. This is a big change. These are strong countries, and Italy, of course, is one of them. President Trump confirmed – America is ready to take part. In the next few weeks, we’ll talk with each country about what exactly they can do. And it’s important that security guarantees start working now – during the war, not only after it ends.
Second point. Yesterday, we had a conversation with President Trump. European leaders were also on the call – including Giorgia Meloni, of course. We talked in detail about how to move the situation closer to peace. President Trump expects a stronger Europe – with better coordination between Europe and the United States. At the same time, he is very disappointed with some European countries, especially Hungary and Slovakia, because they continue to buy Russian oil. That means they are helping to fund Russia’s war machine.
America wants to seriously cut Russia’s income from energy exports – and this is the right path. The less money Putin makes from oil, the less he can spend on war and on destabilizing other countries. Please keep this in mind – energy independence from Russia is also key to strong relations with the United States.
Now in Ukraine I have meetings with António Costa, the President of the European Council, and, by the way, with the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico – and we will talk about this as well. And it’s important that Prime Minister Orbán also hears these signals from the United States, directly from President Trump – the signal about Russian oil.
And finally the third point.
When we talk about peace – this is peace in Europe – about security and security guarantees, we also have to talk about supporting European business – our industries, our jobs, and our role in global competition. A strong Europe is a Europe that the world wants as an economic partner. This must remain unchanged.
In Ukraine, we believe that the project of rebuilding our country after the war is a fundamental economic project for the whole of Europe. Recently, we were in Rome at the Conference on Ukraine’s Recovery. Thank you so much! Thanks, Italy! What made that Conference strong was the presence of business – many companies took part. And I believe that rebuilding Ukraine should give growth and development to every European country. That is why we count so much on the participation of strong players like Italy and Italian business. Please, be active in this. For us, Ukraine’s EU membership and the reconstruction of Ukraine are also elements of security. Giorgia Meloni supports us in this. And I very much hope that Italy’s participation will be truly strong and visible. Thank you so much! Thanks, Italy! Thanks for this meeting, for the invitation. And I am ready to answer your questions.