Face to face at Palazzo Chigi. Premier: “Italy on Kiev’s side”. Ukrainian president: “We will never forget your help”
“We have reaffirmed to President Zelensky our 360-degree support for Ukraine for as long as it takes and beyond…”. Less than three months after her visit to Kiev, Giorgia Meloni meets Volodymyr Zelensky at Palazzo Chigi, who landed in the morning at Ciampino in an armored Rome. At the end of the face-to-face conversation, in English and without interpreters, the prime minister goes to the jail room for the press briefing to reiterate Italy’s full support for Kiev in front of TV and reporters, including on the military front: ”Our Nation will continue to provide assistance both bilaterally and multilaterally. And we will continue, in agreement with our main allies, to provide the necessary support, including military support, so that Ukraine can reach a negotiating table in a solid position as soon as possible”.
“We will also continue – underlines the leader of via della Scrofa, articulating the words well – to ensure our convinced adherence to the rigorous application of sanctions, just as we ensure our support for peace as long as it is a just peace. We are not hypocritical enough to call peace anything resembling an invasion…”. No “unjust peace can ever be imposed on Ukraine, we are betting on Kiev’s victory”, he remarked, recalling that “Ukraine is at war for us too…”. of the State Sergio Mattarella, Zelensky, in ‘tactical clothing’, military sweatshirt (this time black) with the trident on the forearm and green trousers, listens and nods to the honeyed words of the Italian prime minister.
Meloni, in a dark suit, a jacket with a mandarin collar over a white T-shirt and black trousers (like the lace-up shoes with a masculine brogues), defines him as a ”friend” and thanks him several times for his presence: ”The the fact that the Ukrainian president is here is the sign of a Ukraine that is betting on the future, on Italy as a protagonist in a common future of prosperity, as demonstrated by the fact that Rome is the first stop on his European visit”. Not surprisingly, government sources leaked the strong satisfaction for the vis a vis with Zelensky and the subsequent working lunch with the respective delegations, confirming the great feeling between the two leaders. During the meeting, the same sources report, there was no space for the controversies fueled by the newspapers related to the absence of Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini due to alleged friction with the Fdi, especially on the shipment of weapons to Kiev.
No divisions, therefore, with the leader of the League, any proposal for peace mediation is welcome. At the meeting with Zelensky there was much talk of peace, in particular of the ten-point formula re-presented by the Ukrainian president. ”I’m really happy that Zelensky is here”, begins Meloni who recalls Mattarella’s constant calls for peace: “I am happy that he was welcomed in Rome, with affection and esteem, starting with President Mattarella. as you know, from the very first days of the Russian invasion, it has represented in every possible institutional setting, Italy’s very clear positioning alongside our allies in support of the Ukrainian people”.
The Italian premier reiterates his firm negative judgment on the Russian aggression and confirms his commitment to reconstruction: ”At the end of February I was in Kiev. We have organized a major conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine with over 600 Italian companies to demonstrate that our nation wants to play a leading role in the reconstruction”. The “rhythm we have given to relations between Italy and Ukraine bears witness to the commitment and importance of a relationship, yes between our nations, but for the international community as a whole, for European history and for all the peoples who love freedom. Italy has demonstrated with deeds its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the victim of a brutal and unjust aggression by the Russian Federation”.
“The truth, underlines the prime minister, is that Ukraine is the victim of an aggression”. The “truth is that by defending its sovereignty and its integrity, Ukraine keeps war away from the rest of Europe, what they are doing they are doing for us too”. And again: the sacrifices of Ukraine “are sacrifices that are also made to defend our freedom and I think it is very important to understand this”. ”We are ready to support a further intensification of Ukraine’s partnership with NATO”, promises Meloni, who closes with the conviction that in the end Kiev will have the upper hand: ”A clear and simple message comes out from here today. The future of “Ukraine is one of peace and freedom and it is a European future and there are no other possible solutions for this matter. I am convinced that Ukraine will win and will be reborn stronger and more luxuriant than before”.
Zelensky
We will never forget the help of Italy. This was stated by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, during the press point at Palazzo Chigi with Meloni: “Thank you Giorgia, thank you for the opportunity to find me today in this beautiful and great country, with a great history. I began the visit with a wonderful meeting” with the president Sergio Mattarella and “I told him that I am here with my team to thank you and hug you for the aid and for having given shelter to our citizens, our families and the children who suffer from the Russian aggression We will never forget it.”
Source-www.adnkronos.com