Ukraine, Zelensky in Cernobbio: “Italy is doing its best for peace”

“Italy is doing everything to achieve peace in Ukraine”. This is an excerpt from the speech of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio. The war with Russia, which began over 900 days ago, is at a crucial stage: a month ago, Kiev forces crossed the border and settled in the Russian region of Kursk. In Donbass, however, the Ukrainian army is struggling to contain the enemy.

Ukraine has produced its own “missiles and drones” and, as the operation in Kursk shows, is trying to “bring this war back to Russia so that Putin also feels the pressure to seek only one thing: peace. Italy is doing everything to advance the Peace Formula, to achieve peace,” Zelensky says.

“Ukraine is not asking for anything more than what your country and others are doing”he says, thanking Rome for the air defense systems provided. “Here I will meet with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and representatives of the companies, I am confident that together we will be able to achieve important goals to protect lives in Ukraine”, Zelensky continues, saying he is convinced that “Italy will also help us in the reconstruction”. In this regard, he confirms “a conference for next year” that will focus precisely on the reconstruction of Ukraine.

“Ukraine wants to end this war, but Russia leaves us no choice but to fight and defend our lives,” he says, noting that “our people live under the threat of drones and missiles every day and night,” recalling the recent attacks in Poltava, Kharkiv and Lviv, which cost the lives of dozens of people.

“Putin is trying to launch even more missiles to try to kill more Ukrainian children. We are trying to defend ourselves,” but Russia “uses ballistic missiles that come from Tehran. “We are building shelters, underground schools so that Ukrainian children can continue to study in complete safety despite everything that is happening,” Zelensky added.