Zelenskyy is in Germany for the first time since Russia invaded
Pope Francis and the Ukrainian president will arrive in Italy on Saturday for a first visit since the end of the first year of the First World War
A visit to Italy’s capital is expected to last several hours after a meeting between the president and the head of state.
But while her far-right Brothers of Italy party fiercely champions the principle of national sovereignty, Meloni has had to contend with leaders of two coalition partners who have openly professed for years their admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Coalition ally Silvio Berlusconi, a former premier, has boasted of his friendship with Putin, while another government ally, League leader Matteo Salvini, has questioned the value of economic sanctions against Russia.
Pope Francis and the President of the Ukrainian government are in Rome on Saturday, where Zelenskyy will have talks with Italian officials.
He is in Berlin for the first time since the beginning of the war and comes a day after the German government gave Ukraine more than 3 billion euro worth of military aid.
The announcement comes as preparations for Zelenskyy to visit Germany for the first time since Russia invaded his country last year are under way.
At the end of April, flying back to Rome from a trip to Hungary, Francis told reporters on the plane that the Vatican was involved in a behind-the-scene peace mission but gave no details. Neither Russia nor Ukraine has confirmed such an initiative.
If there was a papal pilgrimage to Moscow he would love to visit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Zelenskyy and his country will not attack Russia in the era of reunification: An official response to the Italian embassy in Aachen
Italian state radio reported that as part of protective measures, a no-fly zone was ordered for Rome skies and police sharpshooters were strategically placed on high buildings.
Zelenskyy’s exact schedule hadn’t been publicly announced because of security concerns, and the Vatican only confirmed a papal meeting shortly before the Ukrainian president’s plane touched down.
Steinmeier made a visit to Ukraine and promised Zelenskyy of their support for the fight against the Russians. Announcing the new arms package, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would help Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”
After meeting Scholz and other senior officials at the chancellery, the two leaders are expected to fly to the western city of Aachen for Zelenskyy to receive the International Charlemagne Prize awarded to him and the people of Ukraine.
The organizers said the award recognizes the resistance against Russia’s invasion is a defense not just of the sovereignty of their country and their citizens, but also of Europe and European values.
Zelenskyy thanked Scholz for Germany’s political, financial and military support, saying the country is now second only behind the United States in providing aid to Ukraine — and joked that he is working to make it the biggest donor.
The president of the country is traveling to other countries in order to obtain more weapons to help his country fight the Russian invasion and help rebuild the country destroyed in the conflict.
The president of Ukraine says his country will not attack Russian territory and will prepare a counteroffensive.
According to an official interpreter, he said that there wasn’t any time or strength to attack Russia. “And we also don’t have weapons to spare, with which we could do this.”
The goal of freedom in Ukraine is to find a new bargaining chip in the 2022 Moscow-Scholz peace process, according to Zelenskyy
There has been speculation that Ukraine might try to capture areas in Russia proper and use them as bargaining chips in possible peace negotiations to end the war launched by Moscow in February 2022.
Speaking during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s goal is to free the territories within its internationally recognized borders.
