Main image: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) greets France's President Emmanuel Macron at Palazzo Chigi in Rome. Stefano Carofei/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met separately in Rome on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to discuss, among other things, the war in Ukraine.
This was reported by Euronews.
After a three-hour discussion with Macron, both leaders issued a joint statement reaffirming their "unwavering" support for Ukraine, calling it necessary to achieve a "just and lasting resolution" of the conflict.
The statement also emphasized the need for "ambitious scale changes" in European defense and added that the leaders also discussed topics such as the situation in the Middle East and European cooperation on migration policy.
Ahead of the meeting, the Élysée Palace stated that there were issues between Macron and Meloni that needed clarification, particularly regarding support for Ukraine. The meeting at Palazzo Chigi, the Italian government residence, was seen as a diplomatic reset between Paris and Rome, although both sides stressed that there was never a "cold war" between them. Italy is an important partner, the Élysée Palace said, according to dpa.
The talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico focused on lasting peace in Ukraine. Fico and Meloni "discussed their support for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and their commitment to the country’s reconstruction in view of the Ukraine Recovery Conference that Italy will host in July 2025," according to a joint statement. According to the Slovak government, the two leaders also discussed developing bilateral relations and opportunities for further cooperation in the energy sector.
"We focused on the war in Ukraine. (Meloni) was very interested in my position, as Slovakia is, of course, a neighboring country [to Ukraine]," Fico told journalists after the meeting. "We discussed the reset — what will happen in Europe when all energy supplies from Russia stop coming to the European Union," he said. "I think there are countries in the EU that want to continue this war thinking it will harm Russia. I don't think that strategy works," added the Slovak leader.
