Following the election of the new pope, several of Ukraine's partners, including the United States, suggested that the Vatican could become a neutral platform for further peace talks.
Giorgia Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced support for U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to broker a peace between Ukraine and Russia and lauded President Volodymyr Zelensky's readiness for an unconditional truce.
The diplomatic meetings come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met privately with U.S. President Donald Trump at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican earlier on April 26.
"We have been defending the freedom of Ukraine together," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
"If Russia does not plan to invade its neighbors again, it is not clear why it should not accept security guarantees that are only defensive," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
Italy does not plan to participate in a peacekeeping force on the ground in eastern Ukraine to guarantee a potential ceasefire, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said on March 15.
"We need to think about more durable solutions" than solely sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on the sidelines of the EU leaders' meeting in Brussels. "It’s a different thing than entering NATO, but it implies extending the coverage that NATO countries have also to Ukraine," she added.
"I had a productive meeting with the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy (Giorgia Meloni) to develop a joint action plan for ending the war with a just and lasting peace," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
With Washington’s role seen as crucial to any lasting peace in Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have also reportedly sought to work behind the scenes to ease tensions between the two leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and other top Western officials arrived for a London summit to discuss support for Kyiv, the Guardian reported on March 2.
Earlier, the Italian Senate approved the measure with 192 votes in favor and 41 against.
Ukraine's president will travel to Italy on Jan. 9 following the Ramstein summit in Germany.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Italy has delivered 10 military aid packages to Kyiv which have included advanced systems like the French-Italian SAMP/T air defense units.
"It's about our democracy, it's about influencing our public opinion, it's about what happens in Africa, it's about raw materials, it's about the instrumentalization of migration. We need to know it's a very wide idea of security," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Ukraine's victory plan to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his visit to Italy.
EU members will not be for now directly involved in the $50 billion loan for Ukraine, as they will instead focus on developing the guarantee mechanism, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on June 15.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy on June 13 and has been welcomed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the upcoming G7 summit, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on June 2, according to the Italian news outlet ANSA.
U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni at the White House on March 1, amid challenges faced by the Democratic administration in garnering support from House Republicans for legislation aimed at providing assistance to Ukraine.
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