- V. Zelensky met with G. Meloni
- On Thursday, Zelensky visited Germany
- Meloni met Trump last weekend
V. Zelensky met with G. Meloni
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Rome on Thursday for talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after a meeting with other allies in Germany, his spokesman said.
"Today there will be a meeting with Meloni and tomorrow with Sergio Matarella," the spokesman, Serhiy Nykyforov, said, referring to the Italian President, who is mainly in a representative position.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was also in Rome on Thursday, holding separate talks with his European counterparts on Syria. It is not clear whether he plans to meet with Zelensky during his trip.
US President Joe Biden was also due to visit the Italian capital for what was to be his last trip abroad, but it was canceled due to the wildfires in Los Angeles.
On Thursday, Zelensky visited Germany
Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky attended a meeting of some 50 allies at the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, the last such gathering before Trump takes office on 20 January. The US President-elect has criticized the heavy US aid to Kyiv and has promised a swift end to the war but has not made any concrete proposals for a ceasefire or a peace agreement.
In Germany, Zelensky said Trump's return to the White House would open a "new chapter" and reiterated his call on Western allies to send peacekeepers to Ukraine to help "force Russia to make peace".
Meloni met Trump last weekend
Meloni, who will lead Italy, a member of NATO and the European Union, from October 2022, is a strong supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia and is politically close to Trump.
Earlier, at a press conference in Rome, Meloni, who visited Trump at his home in Florida last weekend, said she did not believe the President-elect would abandon Kyiv. "Frankly, I don't foresee that happening", she said, adding that Mr Trump had previously said that "precisely because we want peace, we will not abandon Ukraine".
Meloni said she would support whatever peace options Ukraine would support. Italy is sending arms and aid to Ukraine but has refused to allow Kyiv to use its weapons to strike Russian territory.
V. Zelensky's spokesman said that the talks in Italy would cover, among other topics, aid and reconstruction, international peace efforts, and Ukraine's hopes of joining NATO.
Based on ELTA reports
