—COURTESY TRANSLATION OF A PRESS RELEASE BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC—
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, participated today, together with the Leaders of Ukraine, Finland, France, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and NATO, in a telephone call with President Trump ahead of his meeting with President Putin in Alaska on August 15th. The Summit was preceded by a European coordination meeting, at the Leaders’ level, and followed by a new meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.
During the discussion, Prime Minister Meloni expressed appreciation for the efforts made by President Trump, reiterating the importance of continuing to work with the United States to stop the conflict and achieve a peace that ensures Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, and she thanked President Zelenskyy for the seriousness he has shown thus far in seeking a diplomatic solution. The Prime Minister also welcomed the U.S. participation, represented by Vice President Vance, in the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, in line with what took place for the first time in Rome on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in July.
The discussion revealed a strong unity of views in reaffirming that a just and lasting peace cannot be one that ignores a ceasefire, continued support for Ukraine, the maintenance of collective pressure on Russia, including through the instrument of sanctions, and solid and credible security guarantees anchored in the Euro-Atlantic context.
Prime Minister Meloni expressed great satisfaction with the unity of purpose and the ability to engage in dialogue that the West is demonstrating in the face of a fundamental challenge for the security and the defense of international law.
It is now time to see what Russia’s attitude will be in Alaska, as thus far it has not been willing to take any significant step forward.
