“Italy will give every possible assistance to create the conditions for a negotiation, but until then it will give all kinds of military, financial and civilian support. Those who also support Ukraine militarily are those who work for it pace. Italy does not intend to waver and will not do so”. Guarantees full support to Kiev the president of the Council Giorgia Meloniafter the meeting in the Ukrainian capital with the president Volodymyr Zelensky. Arrived at 2 in the night between Monday and Tuesday in the country invaded by Russiathe train with the Italian delegation on board has crossed the border that divides the Poland fromUkraine after a 15-hour journey, culminating in the president’s first visit to the capital of the war-torn country of Vladimir Putinfirst time guest of Zelensky.
“Focus on anti-aircraft defense” – The theme of military support provided from Italy and by allies was central during the meeting between the two leaders, and Melons he specified that “at the moment there is no sending of on the table planes“, because it is “a decision to be made with international partners. We focused on anti-aircraft defense systems, Samp-TBelongs, Skyguard. The priority is to defend infrastructure e citizens“, he precised. A theme that of planes also raised by Zelensky himself in the European arena, while London has already expressed itself favourably, specifying that their arrival a Kiev “It’s only a matter of time.” Speaking instead of negotiations, for Melons the peace proposal must come from the attacked country, because “nothing must be decided without Ukraine”, “and for this reason it is essential that the initiative comes from the president Zelensky“. The goal of true peace, he continued, “is achieved by reiterating that the international community does not accept the invasion of sovereign states, does not accept a world in which force redraws the borders between states, in which those who believe they are militarily stronger believes it has the right to invade its neighbor. You have to be serious about this matter.” Then Melons praised theUkrainewho “in the presence of the world has already won his battle to affirm his identityand, “beyond a few statements“, he reassured the compactness of the majority about the support for Kiev. An indirect reference to the words spoken in recent days by his ally Silvio Berlusconiwhich he had attacked Zelensky judging him “very negatively” for “his stubbornness in Donbass”.
The majority and Berlusconi’s statements – “For me the facts and anything are worth the Parliament he was called to vote in support of Ukraine the parties that are part of the majority voted for him – he specified Melons -. Beyond a few declarations, in fact the majority has always been united. There is a clearly lined-up programme, it has always been respected by everyone and I trust it will still be the case”. And the Ukrainian president also quotes the leader of Come on Italy: “Several leaders have the right to think, the real problem is the approach of Italian company who gave that leader a mandate. I believe the house of Berlusconi has never been bombed, tanks have never arrived in his garden, nobody has killed his family membersnever had to pack at 3am to escape and all that thanks to the brotherly love of Russia. I – he continued – wish peace to all Italian families, even to those who do not support us, but ours is a great tragedy that must be understood. I want them to come here to see with their own eyes the trail of blood they left.” The trip of Melons it comes at a very delicate moment for the fate of the conflict. At stake, in recent weeks, there is a very high stake: the first move is awaited Mosca in what is believed to become the new one spring offensive of the Federation, we are witnessing the long-distance clash between Usa e Chinesecon Beijing which could finally try to play the role of mediator between the parties, while the Ukrainian president continues to ask for new and ever more powerful weapons to the NATO-EU bloc.
The concomitance with Biden’s trip – Meloni’s journey never crosses that of the American president Joe Bidenwho also arrived in Kiev a day earlier than the Italian leader, in what was a historic trip by the head of the White House. A visit that also caused a delay in the travel plans of Melons. The two heads of the executive, despite stopping in Poland and, indeed, Ukraine, have never met. While the head of the American administration was returning to the EU member country from his meeting with Zelensky, in fact, the prime minister was engaged in a bilateral agreement with the Polish premier Mateusz Morawiecki and with the president Andrzej Duda. A missed meeting that did not go unnoticed, so much so that on Tuesday morning the White House deemed it necessary to specify that Meloni is expected soon in Washington to meet Biden: the president, they say, “can’t wait to welcome” the premier “when their programs are aligned”. And they later confirmed that in their phone call the two leaders “discussed their ongoing close coordination on support for Ukraine, including security, economic and humanitarian assistance”.