The country is ready to provide defensive weapons.

Italy is ready to defend Ukraine's independence by transferring weapons necessary for defense.

But the transfer of offensive weapons is out of the question, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Rai3.

"The military situation in Ukraine is complicated, we are very concerned. We are all working for peace, and we, as decided by Parliament, are ready to send defensive weapons. We will never send offensive weapons because we are not at war with Russia. We have nothing to Russian people, we are only defending the independence of Ukraine," the minister said.

• Last week, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that his country had supplied Ukraine with military assistance totaling about a billion euros. We are talking about five packages of military assistance, and he also said that a sixth package, including air defense systems, is being prepared.

• Earlier this month, the Italian government approved a decision to supply Ukraine with a battery of the SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system, which will help fend off planes, missiles and drones. It soon became known that the authorities of Italy and France would jointly order a large batch of 700 Aster-30 missiles, the cost of which would be 2 billion euros of this complex.

• In October last year, George Meloni, who had just become the Prime Minister of Italy, promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to support our country in the fight against the Russian aggressor. It was also announced that she would visit Ukraine on a working visit before the end of winter.