After Berlin, Zelensky visits Rome to promote cooperation in air defense with Ukraine

With the war in Iran and negotiations in Pakistan, the US administration has set aside the Ukrainian issue. Faced with Washington’s withdrawal, President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying in his final weeks to maintain Western support in terms of defense. The Ukrainian leader has embarked on a new European tour to discuss cooperation in air defense in Norway, Germany, and Italy.

In Berlin, his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday resulted in a strategic partnership between the two countries based on military cooperation. During a press conference, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the two countries were working on a bilateral agreement on drones and argued that “Our experience can be integrated into the European security system.”

One assistance of 60 billion supported by NATO

Among the main supporters in Kiev, the German government will finance the delivery of several hundred Patriot missiles and launchers for the IRIS-T air defense systems for four billion euros.

Before flying to Rome to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader participated in a meeting in the German capital with various allies and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The latter urged the 32 member states to “not lose sight of Ukraine” and to set up an assistance package of 60 billion dollars (51 billion euros) by 2026. “We must ensure uninterrupted support,” insisted the former Dutch prime minister at the opening in Berlin.

The negotiation process, initiated under pressure from Donald Trump to end the war, seems to be at a standstill due to deep divergences on the terms of an agreement between Kiev and Moscow.

Arriving in Rome on Wednesday, the Ukrainian president emphasized that “the number one diplomatic priority for Ukraine at the moment [was] cooperation in air defense.” Volodymyr Zelensky will plead with Italian authorities to join the PURL program, launched last year, which allows Ukraine to receive US-funded equipment through European countries. While Italy has sent weapons to Kiev, it has not joined PURL.

In this fifth year of war, during his daily briefing, General Oleksandr Syrsky, commander of the Ukrainian army, announced that Russian forces had intensified their operations along almost the entire 1,200 km frontline. A beginning of an offensive? According to him, Ukrainian troops are defending themselves: “in March, this strategy allowed the recovery of about 50 km² of occupied territory,” he added.