Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held a joint press conference with Zelenskiy, who visited Rome for the first time after Russia’s war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after a 70-minute meeting in the prime ministry.
Stating that they had a long and productive meeting with Zelenskiy, Meloni said, “Italy has shown its support for the integrity of Ukraine, which is the victim of Russia’s brutal and unjust attack. Italy wants to continue this. Italy will continue to provide 360-degree support to Ukraine as long as necessary and beyond. ” said.
“We are in favor of a diplomatic solution”
Expressing that they bet on Ukraine’s victory, Prime Minister Meloni said, “We will continue to provide support, including military support, so that Ukraine can enter the negotiations in a solid position. This is important because peace cannot be achieved with any surrender position.” he said.
Calling on Moscow to withdraw its forces from Ukraine, the Italian Prime Minister said, “Peace can only be achieved if Russia stops its hostilities. We are not hypocritical enough to refer to the invasion as peace. An unjust peace cannot be imposed on Ukraine. Any peace agreement must be adopted by this people.” and Italy will continue to contribute to these efforts.” used the phrase.
Meloni emphasized that they are in favor of a diplomatic solution and also support Zelenskiy’s 10-point peace formula.
Saying that he went to Kiev last February, Meloni said, “A clear and simple message emerges from here. Ukraine’s future is peace and freedom and there must be a European future, there is no other solution to this issue. I believe that Ukraine will win and be reborn strong. I am convinced.” said.
Prime Minister Meloni stated that it is an obligation for them to support Ukraine’s entry into the European Union (EU) and said, “They are also making sacrifices to defend our freedom.” made its assessment.
Zelensky’s call for abducted Ukrainian children
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy thanked Italy for its support and hosting the Ukrainian immigrants and said that he would never forget Italy’s support.
Expressing that the attacks continued from midnight until morning, Zelenskiy said, “We shot down 17 Iranian UAVs used to destroy our infrastructure in 7 hours. This is Russian aggression. Ukraine will be safe if it is not exposed to any bomb attacks.” said.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that they mentioned cooperation in the military field in their meeting with Meloni, “We also discussed security in the military field, there are several important decisions regarding our air defense.” he said.
Recalling that they presented a peace plan as Ukraine, Zelenskiy said, “Ukraine offered a peace formula to end the war, but Russia did not want peace, so it responded with missiles and artillery.” used the phrase.
“200,000 children have been abducted from Ukraine. We do not know what will happen to the abducted children. We need to get these children back.” Zelenskiy called on the international community for these children to return to Ukraine.
The President of Ukraine said that the EU is very important to them and they will do everything necessary to join the union.
Zelenskiy also stated that he had some expectations from the NATO Summit.
President of Ukraine Zelenskiy then went to the Vatican City State, adjacent to Rome, to meet with Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholics and the President of the Vatican.
On the other hand, according to the information in the Italian press, while Zelenskiy’s visit to Italy, the websites of some state institutions, including the Italian Ministry of Interior, were subjected to a cyber attack by Russian hackers named “NoName057”.
Zelenskiy is expected to go to Germany tomorrow after completing his contacts in Italy and the Vatican.