On November 29, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko held a meeting with Ambassador of Italy to Ukraine Carlo Formosa.

Olexandr Mischenko thanked Italy for its leadership and strong support for Ukraine during its Presidency of the Group of Seven.

The Deputy Minister informed about the situation on the battlefield and expressed gratitude to Italy for defence assistance, in particular for critically important air defence systems. The parties coordinated further joint steps to strengthen the security and defence capabilities of Ukraine. They also exchanged views on the development of the Ukrainian defence-industrial complex and the involvement of Italian business in this process.

Olexandr Mischenko emphasized that Ukraine's invitation to NATO is the only reliable guarantee of security not only for our country but also for the European continent.

The interlocutors also focused on the preparations for the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC-2025) to be held in July 2025 in Italy. In this context, it was stressed the significance of the event "Italy supports Made in Ukraine" (20.11.2024, Rome), which became an important preparatory step for URC-2025. Olexandr Mischenko emphasized the need to pay special attention to the implementation of joint projects with the localization of production in Ukraine. The parties agreed to continue working towards the effective holding of URC-2025.

The special attention was paid to countering Russian propaganda. Olexandr Mischenko emphasized the unacceptability of Russian artists’ performances on Italian stages and the participation of Italian artists in cultural events at the TOT of Ukraine since Russia uses culture as a weapon to manipulate public opinion and justify its numerous crimes in Ukraine.

For his part, Carlo Formosa emphasized Italy's readiness to continue strengthening practical assistance to Ukraine and interaction between Kyiv and Rome, including on the interparliamentary track.