Italy PM Meloni promises Ukraine support 'for as long as necessary'

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged support to Ukraine in its war against Russia "for as long as necessary and beyond."

Meloni made the comments after hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom she referred to as her "friend," for a meeting on Saturday at her official residence in Rome.

Kyiv must be placed in a strong position for negotiations with Russia "because peace cannot follow capitulation, that would be a dangerous peace for Europe," Meloni said.

Meloni underlined that she strongly supports Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. Kiev is not only fighting for itself, but also for the rest of Europe, "for all of us," said Meloni.

Ukraine hopes to start concrete EU accession negotiations this year.

Zelensky thanked Italy for its support. He said he was moved by the many Ukrainian flags he saw on the streets of Rome.

He stressed that 200,000 children had been abducted from Ukrainian areas. He invited politicians from Italy to visit Ukraine to see for themselves what the Kremlin's Vladimir Putin is doing with his invasion.