Meeting between Minister Crosetto and the Ukrainian Minister of Defense

The Italian Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, had a telephone conversation this afternoon with the new Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Denys Shmyhal.

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"Today, a valuable opportunity for dialogue via videoconference with Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, to whom I extended my congratulations on his recent appointment and reaffirmed Italy’s willingness to continue along the path of solid and fruitful cooperation established with his predecessors.

Our conversation was an important occasion to reiterate Italy’s commitment, together with the international community, to stand by the Ukrainian people, who for over three years have been resisting and facing with courage the consequences of a brutal aggression.

I reaffirmed our willingness to continue working to create the necessary conditions for a ceasefire, the first step towards a just and lasting peace.

We are fully aware of how essential it is to enable Ukraine to defend itself, especially in the face of increasingly indiscriminate attacks targeting the civilian population. In this effort, cooperation between our defense industries plays an increasingly central role—one in which we are determined to keep investing with conviction.

We resist every attempt at provocation from Moscow, which seeks to set us against not an unjustifiable predatory intent, but a culture—Russian culture—with which we have always shared deep ties. Today, however, it is precisely this culture that is being violated from within, by propaganda that distorts, disfigures, and presents a false representation of it through a deeply unnatural lens.

We stand by Ukraine also on the path of reconstruction, working together for a solid future of peace and prosperity—a future worthy of a proud and resilient nation which—despite bombs, attacks, and violence against civilians—continues to keep its economy alive and its dignity intact," said Minister Guido Crosetto.

IL MINISTRO