European ministers in Rome to discuss coordination of support for Ukraine
Guido Crosetto, Italy's Minister of Defense (Photo: Getty Images)
This week, a meeting of defense ministers from several European countries is scheduled to take place in the Italian capital, Rome. The summit will notably discuss the topic of support for Ukraine, reports the French newspaper Sud Ouest.
The meeting in Rome is set to take place on Friday, May 16.
It will be the fourth summit of its kind, following those held in Berlin in November, Warsaw in January, and Paris in March.
The Italian Ministry of Defense has announced that its head, Guido Crosetto, will meet with his counterparts from Germany, France, Poland, and the UK to discuss coordination of support for Ukraine.
In addition to the topic of Ukraine, the ministers will also address ways to strengthen European defense.
It is expected that after the meeting, the five European ministers will hold a joint press conference at 12:45 GMT (14:45 Kyiv time).
Summit is set to take place after the Ukraine-Russia meeting in Istanbul
The announcement in Italy about this meeting came after a statement on May 12 by US President Donald Trump, who mentioned the possibility of visiting Türkiye on May 15 for potential participation in talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had already announced his readiness for such discussions.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently called for the resumption of direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, has yet to confirm his intentions regarding a visit.
Issue of a ceasefire and new sanctions
It should also be noted that after the meeting in Kyiv with the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing (Britain, France, Germany, and Poland), Ukraine announced its readiness to cease fire for at least 30 days, starting from May 12.
During the visit, European leaders warned the Kremlin about the possibility of new severe sanctions if it refuses the ceasefire. However, Moscow effectively ignored this ultimatum.
Additionally, on May 12, Berlin and Paris emphasized that the EU is preparing new, extensive sanctions against Russia, targeting its oil and financial systems, and that now everything depends on Putin and the negotiations in Istanbul.
