Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was due in Rome for talks, where he will aim to press European allies to boost his country’s air defences against Russian attacks.
Zelensky will meet Prime Minister Georgia Meloni a day after visiting Germany, where he and Germany’ chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed to strengthen defence cooperation, especially in drone warfare.
Ahead of the meeting with Meloni, Zelensky wrote on X:
The top diplomatic priority for Ukraine right now is cooperation for the sake of air defence.
Zelensky is pressing European countries to join the PURL programme, which was launched last year and allows Ukraine to receive U.S. equipment financed by European Union member states. Italy has sent weapons but has not signed up to PURL.
The Ukrainian president said that U.S. negotiators “have no time for Ukraine” because of the war in Iran.
Meloni has been one of Washington’s closest allies in Europe, and has pressed Kyiv’s case with Trump. But her relationship with the U.S. leader has soured over the Iran war, with Trump issuing a stinging rebuke of Meloni on April 14th, telling Italian daily Corriere della Sera
I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.
