On his way back from France, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak paid a working visit to the Italian Republic and the Vatican City on the instructions of the President.
In the Vatican City, Andriy Yermak met with Pope Francis and thanked him for supporting Ukraine and our people in this difficult time.
The Head of the President's Office informed His Holiness about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula and preparations for the Global Peace Summit that will be held in Switzerland.
During the conversation, special attention was paid to the return of Ukrainian children forcibly deported by the aggressor state of Russia.
Pope Francis expressed his support for Ukraine.
Andriy Yermak also discussed with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, the latter's participation in the Global Peace Summit and the role of the Holy See in the implementation of the humanitarian points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula.
The Head of the Office of the President also met with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, and thanked him for his mission and efforts to bring back illegally deported Ukrainian children.
Andriy Yermak discussed with Matteo Zuppi the preparations for the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland and the Ukrainian President's vision of achieving a just and lasting peace.
During a meeting with the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, Andriy Yermak spoke about Ukraine's future participation in the G7 Summit, as well as preparations for the Peace Summit and the importance of involving the countries of the Global South.
Andriy Yermak and Adolfo Urso emphasized the importance of developing a dialogue between the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, in particular on economic cooperation between the defense and industrial complex enterprises of the two countries.
Andriy Yermak thanked the Director General of the Italian Security Intelligence Department, Italy's G7/G20 Sherpa, Elisabetta Belloni, for keeping the issue of Russian aggression against Ukraine among the top priorities of the Italian G7 Presidency.
The Head of the Presidential Office has also discussed with the Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Fabrizio Saggio, the issues related to the upcoming G7 Summit and the Global Peace Summit.
During the meetings at the Italian Ministry of Defense, Andriy Yermak thanked for the transfer of defense assistance, in particular, air defense systems.
On behalf of the Office of the President, he stressed the importance of protecting critical infrastructure and preparing it for the winter period, as well as exploring opportunities for joint production in the defense and industrial sector.