Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday in Rome after a conversation with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that when you see what Vladimir Putin has done in his country, you can understand why Ukrainians resist “this evil.” The head of the Italian government ured that her country would continue to provide Ukraine with full support, including military support. “We are betting on Ukraine’s victory,” she added.
In a joint briefing with the head of the Italian government, the Ukrainian leader gave the latest information from his country: “In just seven hours from midnight, we shot down 17 Iranian drones that are being used to destroy our infrastructure.”
“This is Russian aggression,” he added.
Then he emphasized: “Ukraine proposed a peace formula to end the war, but Russia responded with rockets and artillery, because they do not want peace. And peace interests us and our partners.”
The president invited Italian politicians and representatives of society to come to Ukraine. “Because when you see what only one person did, what Putin did, you’ll understand why we resist this evil,” he said.
He then declared: Ukraine will be “safe when it is not destroyed by any bomb.”
Zelensky recalled the fate of thousands of Ukrainian children deported to Russia.
He also stated, “I wish our people could come back to life.” Among the priorities, he mentioned that Ukrainian children could go to school on September 1.
As he explained, the authorities have set up a distance learning system, but they are aware of how important everyday social contacts are for children.
He also pointed out that it is necessary to concentrate efforts on the issue of energy supply. He thanked Italy for what they had done last winter. “But we must prepare for the next one,” he announced.
He stressed the need to help those who had been made homeless by the bombing.
Referring to the EU candidate status, the president ured that his country would do everything it could to meet the indicated conditions for membership.
When during a briefing at the Prime Minister’s office, Palazzo Chigi, there were problems with the translation in headphones, Zelensky said with a smile: “They are Russians.”
The head of the Italian government stressed after a 70-minute conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky: “Italy has shown its full support with facts” in the face of “brutal and unjust Russian aggression” and will continue to provide it.
“Today, the message is clear and simple: the future of Ukraine is peace and freedom, and a European future, and there are no other possible solutions. I am convinced that Ukraine will win and will be reborn stronger and full of life as before,” said the Prime Minister.
She declared: “For as long as it takes and longer, our country will continue to provide bilateral and multilateral istance and will confidently enter into agreements on the application of sanctions.”
Giorgia Meloni stressed the need to support a “just peace”.
“We are not hypocrites to call peace anything that might resemble an invasion. +No+ to the unjust peace imposed on Ukraine,” she added.
She expressed her conviction that any peace agreement must have the support of the Ukrainian people.
“We will continue to provide support, including military support, so that Ukraine can enter negotiations with a firm stance. This is important because peace cannot be achieved by capitulation,” she said.
She pointed out: “Ukraine is a victim of aggression and, defending its integrity and identity, it distances the war from the rest of Europe. What the Ukrainians do, they also do for us.”
The prime minister confirmed that her country supports the decision on Ukraine’s candidate status for the European Union.
From Rome Sylwia Wysocka (PAP)
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