President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Italy on Jan. 9, Suspilne reported, citing its undisclosed source.
Zelensky is attending the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, also known as Ramstein format, on Jan. 9. The president will travel to Italy following the summit, which will be the last gathering in this format before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Zelensky was also scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in Italy, but the U.S. leader canceled the trip due to the wildfires in California, according to Suspilne.
Zelensky previously announced a series of meetings with international partners to discuss further support for Ukraine in the war against Russia.
Speaking at the Ramstein format meeting, Zelensky urged the allies not to relent in helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression.
"We've come such a long way that it would honestly be crazy to drop the ball now and not keep building on the defense coalitions we've created," he said.
During the meeting, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also announced a $500 million aid package for Ukraine, including air defense missiles, ammunition, and equipment for F-16 fighter jets.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
