Italy's Meloni pledges emergency aid to Ukraine

8/12/2025 6:30

=Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke by phone on Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ahead of his planned visits to London, Brussels and Rome for talks on the peace process.



U.S. President Donald Trump's outgoing Ukraine envoy said earlier that a deal to end the war was "really close" and depended on resolving just two major issues but the Kremlin said there had to be radical changes to some of the U.S. proposals.



Meloni reaffirmed Italy's solidarity after what she called a fresh wave of "indiscriminate" Russian strikes on civilian targets and announced the dispatch of emergency supplies to support Ukraine's energy infrastructure and population.



Generators provided by Italian companies will be shipped in the coming weeks.



The prime minister also reiterated support for ongoing negotiations and U.S.-led efforts to secure a "just and lasting peace."



Meloni welcomed Kyiv's willingness to engage in good faith and urged Moscow to show similar openness, according to the readout.