Italy's Meloni pledges emergency aid to Ukraine in call with Zelenskiy


Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands as they attend a press conference on the first day of the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025), on plans for the reconstruction of Ukraine, in Rome, Italy, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

ROME, Dec 7 (Reuters) - 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, her office said.

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 statement said.

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

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

Zelenskiy is expected to meet European leaders in the coming days as part of consultations on ending the nearly four-year-old conflict.

(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

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