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Media: Italian PM arrives in Kyiv

by The Kyiv Independent news desk February 21, 2023 3:19 PM 1 min read

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is talking to the media at the end of a European Union leaders summit at the European Council headquarters on Feb. 10, 2023, in Brussels, Belgium. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Kyiv on Feb. 21, reports Italian newspaper la Repubblica.

During her visit to Ukraine, Meloni is expected to visit Bucha and Irpin, cities just outside Kyiv, which have become symbolic sites of Russian terror in Ukraine. Afterward, Meloni is set to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the publication.

On Feb. 19, Zelensky thanked Meloni for Italy's latest aid package in an interview with Italy's TG1 and said that he was waiting to meet with her.

The country is open to the idea of sending up to five fighter jets to Ukraine, but only if other Western allies start doing so, according to la Repubblica.

According to the article, Italy does not want to be the first ally to send fighter jets "for political reasons," adding that this strategy will give the impression that Italy is compelled to follow the lead of the allies.

Author: The Kyiv Independent news desk

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