Finally, at the extraordinary European Council in Brussels, President Giorgia Meloni participated both in the extended meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky and, at the end of the latter, in the bilateral meeting. At the group’s meeting, along with the leaders of Spain, Poland, Romania, the Netherlands and Sweden, there are photos and videos in which President Meloni is not present (nor Dutch Prime Minister Marc Rutte), but “both were present, arrived a little late,” an EU diplomatic source told LaPresse. “They had to wait so long for Michel to give the press conference that the start of the meeting was uncertain,” she explained.
During the conversation, Meloni – as we learn – confirmed Italy’s support for Ukraine against Russian aggression and Zelensky expressed “strong gratitude for Rome’s commitment”. The historic mission to Brussels of the Ukrainian leader began at the end of the morning with an emotional speech before the European Parliament gathered in extraordinary session. “We belong and will be a member country of the European Union”, Kiev “will win”: Volodymyr Zelensky said the words of the Ukrainian president’s ‘debut’ in the heart of Europe with confident air and battle tones.
Victory against “anti-European forces” as a precondition for “our dreams of peace and security”. The Ukrainian leader always speaks in the plural, repeatedly invoking the fate of Europe threatened by “total war” and thanking him for the support he has received. His words received applause from MEPs. After his speech in Parliament, Zelensky participated in the summit of the twenty-seven leaders who will have to address the issue of the war in Ukraine and, in particular, the delivery of more powerful weapons, mainly fighter jets, to the government in Kiev. Zelensky then left the EU summit in Brussels and headed to the Royal Palace, where he was received by King Philip.
The day was marked by sparks between Meloni and French President Emanuel Macron, who yesterday received the Ukrainian President along with the German Chancellor at the Elysee. Zelensky’s invitation to Paris “was ill-timed,” Meloni said. “Was the French and German mission to Washington inopportune? Frankly, yesterday’s invitation to Zelensky seemed more inopportune. Because I believe that our strength in this case is our unity and I understand the internal political pressures, the fact of privileging domestic public opinion, but there are times when pandering to domestic public opinion risks damaging the cause and this seems to me to be one of those cases”. “I have no comments to make,” Macron replied, “I wanted to welcome President Zelensky with Chancellor Scholz, I think we were in our role. Germany and France, as you know, had a particular role for eight years on the issue” of ‘ Ukraine, “because – he added – we also conducted this process together, I think it is also up to Zelensky to choose the format he wants”.
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
