President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The President expressed gratitude for organizing the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome. More than 500 Italian companies are participating in the event, and around 200 bilateral agreements worth over €10 billion are expected to be signed.
“This is an important signal of trust in Ukraine—not only in our ability to withstand this war, which is the most critical thing, but also in strengthening our shared European stability,” emphasized Volodymyr Zelensky.
The President stressed the need for a large-scale and systematic approach to the reconstruction of Ukraine. He noted that Ukraine counts on Italy’s active involvement in developing and implementing the recovery plan. Italy has already taken patronage over the restoration of Odessa’s cultural heritage and intends to expand its contribution to other areas.
Giorgia Meloni assured that Italy is ready to invest in Ukraine and its future.
“At the conference, we are signing a number of agreements, as well as financial guarantee instruments for businesses and companies that are ready to invest, and this is extremely important. We are also speaking about direct investments from our industrial enterprises,” she said.
Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged Italy’s defense support. The two leaders also discussed urgent needs for strengthening Ukraine’s air defense.
Giorgia Meloni condemned Russian strikes on civilians and critical infrastructure. She also expressed condolences for the loss of Ukrainian lives. According to the President, a current priority for Ukraine’s domestic defense production is drones, especially interceptors. He emphasized the importance of investing in Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex and developing joint defense manufacturing.
The Italian Prime Minister noted that Ukraine is the only side showing readiness for genuine peace negotiations, and therefore, continued support and increased pressure on Russia are necessary.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Giorgia Meloni also discussed the preparation of the 18th EU sanctions package against Russia and overcoming artificial political obstacles on Ukraine’s path to EU membership.
The leaders also addressed the launch of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression committed by Russia against Ukraine. Ukraine considers it essential that the Italian parliament ratify the agreement establishing the tribunal as soon as possible.
A separate focus of the meeting was the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. Ukraine counts on continued assistance from both Italy and the Vatican in this matter.
