Defence Minister Guido Crosetto today travelled to Ramstein to attend the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting. The minister held a number of talks with representatives of allied and partner countries actively committed to supporting Ukraine's resistance against the Russian aggression.
The focus of Crosetto's talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was on future strategies and the international geostrategic context. The minister reiterated that Italy, a protagonist within the Atlantic Alliance, will continue to support Ukraine and its people.
To his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksij Reznikov, Minister Crosetto underscored Italy's staunch determination to work shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian people to defend justice and freedom: “We will stand by you in the face of this cowardly aggression", the minister said.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Crosetto also met his Finnish counterpart Mikko Savola. During their first encounter, the two ministers shared their will to continue in their support of the Ukrainian people in order to achieve fair peace.
Crosetto reiterated his determination in this regard also to his Romanian colleague Angel Tîlvăr, expressing his personal gratitude for the hospitality offered to Task Force Air Gladiator. The latter is tasked with air surveillance on NATO's Eastern flank.
In Ramstein Guido Crosetto also had a short conversation with Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas, to whom he highlighted the “shared commitment to counter the Russian aggression, shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine, to defend our common values: democracy and freedom".
Crosetto also met with the new German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, congratulating with him for his recent appointment: "I am sure that Italy and Germany will find ways to strengthen their cooperation under the aegis of international stability and to foster peace".
