President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy Antonio Tajani, who is in Kyiv to participate in a meeting of the EU-Ukraine Foreign Ministers.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Italy for its solidarity and comprehensive support of Ukraine in countering full-scale Russian aggression.
"I would like to thank your country, the government, the Prime Minister for their political support of our country in all matters. I also want to express my gratitude to the Italian society," he said.
The President expressed hope that the topic of Ukraine would be among the key priorities of Italy's G7 Presidency in 2024.
The Head of State informed on the situation on the battlefield and the priority needs of the Ukrainian defense forces. Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Italy's accession to the coalition for demining Ukraine and the IT coalition. The parties emphasized the importance of further increasing defense support for our country, in particular, bolstering air defense to protect Ukrainian civilians and grain infrastructure.
The parties discussed the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and the planned Global Peace Summit.
"The participation of the Global South in the implementation of the Formula remains important for Ukraine. I am confident that Italy can play an important role in engaging them," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
Special attention was paid to the issues of further support of our country by the Italian Republic on its way to the EU and NATO, as well as to the topic of security guarantees following the G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Italy's readiness to take Odesa under its patronage, in particular, to finance the reconstruction of Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral and other historical monuments of the city damaged by Russian missile attacks.
