Premier Giorgia Meloni had a meeting on Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, her office said in a statement.

“During the meeting, Italy’s strong commitment to stand alongside Ukraine and support a process leading to a just and lasting peace was reaffirmed,” the statement said.

“Meloni also confirmed that Italy would continue providing assistance to the Ukrainian people, with a particular focus on measures to strengthen the resilience of energy infrastructure, which has been severely affected by Russian attacks”.