2023-05-13 08:48:02
ROME (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy arrived in Rome on Saturday to meet with Pope Francis and Italian leaders, Italian state media reported.
Zelenskyy landed at the capital’s Ciampino airport, where he was received by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the ANSA news agency reported.
Zelenskyy will meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who staunchly supports military and other aid to kyiv, and President Sergio Mattarella at noon.
Zelenskyy’s exact schedule was not announced publicly for security reasons and the Vatican did not confirm the meeting with the pontiff until shortly before the president’s arrival in Rome.
As part of the security measures, a no-fly zone was decreed over the capital and police snipers were posted on tall buildings, Italian state television said.
Meloni met Zelenskyy in kyiv shortly after the first anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion, in February 2022.
Francis, who is a staunch supporter of peace, was last seen with the Ukrainian leader in 2020.
The pontiff makes frequent and passionate calls for peace on behalf of the “martyred” Ukrainian people, according to his own words.
In late April, on a flight back to Rome from a visit to Hungary, Francis told reporters that the Vatican was involved in a behind-the-scenes peace mission, but offered no further details. Neither Moscow nor kyiv have confirmed such an initiative.
For its part, Germany’s government announced on Saturday that it will provide Ukraine with additional military aid worth more than 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion), including tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition.
The announcement coincides with preparations in the German capital for Zelenskyy’s possible first visit to the country since the start of the war.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that with the latest arms package, Berlin wants to show “that Germany is firm in its support” for Ukraine.
“Germany will provide all the help it can, for as long as it is needed,” he said.
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