Adnkronos Rome, April 26 (Adnkronos) – Meeting at Palazzo Chigi between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, today, Saturday, April 26. During the face-to-face meeting, Meloni "welcomed Ukraine's full availability for an immediate ceasefire", Palazzo Chigi reports in a note. Now "Russia is also expected to concretely demonstrate its willingness to pursue peace", the statement continues.
The leaders also "reaffirmed their support for President Trump's efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace that will ensure a future of security, sovereignty and freedom for Ukraine."
The Prime Minister "expressed, also on behalf of the Government, her condolences for the victims of the recent Russian attacks", renewing "the firm condemnation of such acts and underlining the urgency of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as well as the need for a concrete commitment by Moscow to start a peace process", Palazzo Chigi reports.
The two crossed the colonnade of St. Peter's Basilica together: first lady Melania was also present.
"Seeing Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky talking about peace at the funeral of the 'Pope of Peace' has enormous significance," was the comment that the Prime Minister entrusted to the online site of Repubblica on the , documented by a historic photo, taken inside the Basilica.
"I appreciate Giorgia Meloni's clear and principled position," Zelensky wrote in a post on X after the meeting. In the conversation, "special attention was paid to the importance of putting pressure on Russia," the Ukrainian president added, recalling that 46 days ago Ukraine agreed to a complete and unconditional ceasefire and that for 46 days Russia has continued to kill "our people."
"We discussed the importance of security guarantees for Ukraine and efforts to restore peace and protect lives," he said. "I also informed Meloni about the constructive meetings of the Ukrainian delegation with representatives of the United States, France, Great Britain and Germany in Paris and London. There is a shared position: an unconditional ceasefire must be the first step towards sustainable peace in Ukraine."
“During my meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, we discussed the path to a complete and unconditional ceasefire and the need to put pressure on Russia to establish it,” Zelensky wrote in another post. “I highlighted the consequences of the Russian strikes on Kryvyi Rih, Sumy and Kiev. To protect the lives of Ukrainians, it is essential to strengthen our air defense. We count on the support of our allies,” he added before thanking “Emmanuel for his constant support of Ukraine and for all the efforts that help our people resist and move closer to peace.”
“The necessary steps to establish a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire and develop additional security guarantees were the main topics of discussion with Keir Starmer,” Zelensky said in a post about the meeting with the British prime minister at Villa Wolkonsky, the residence of the British ambassador in Rome.
Zelensky said that Starmer had taken stock of the talks held in recent days in Paris and London between representatives of Ukraine, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. "We will continue our work within the Coalition of the Willing," the Ukrainian president added, stressing that the unconditional ceasefire must represent "the first step towards establishing a just peace with reliable security guarantees."