Iran Press/ Europe: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on his first trip to Italy since its war with Russia began in February last year, met President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace and then began a working lunch with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni before he was due to head to the Vatican.
Mattarella reiterated Italy's full support for Ukraine in terms of military, financial, humanitarian and reconstruction aid in the short and long term, according to a source in the president's office.
He also told Zelenskiy that while everyone supporting Ukraine wanted peace, "it must be a true peace and not a surrender", the source said.
On Twitter, Zelenskiy called his visit to Italy and the Vatican "an important visit for approaching victory of Ukraine!"
Zelenskiy flew to Rome on an Italian government plane that was escorted over Italian airspace by fighter jets. He was due to go Germany either on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
Meloni visited Zelenskiy in Kyiv in February to assure him of Italy's continued support for Ukraine, despite some of her allies, most notably former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, having longstanding, close ties with Moscow.
The meeting with the pope is expected to be the most significant part of Zelenskiy's time in Italy. He previously met the pope at the Vatican in 2020 and the two have had several phone conversations since the war began.
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