Zelensky and Meloni promise enhanced cooperation on drones

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that they would work to strengthen their defense cooperation, particularly in the field of drone production, following talks in Rome.

However, no concrete details were announced, Mr. Zelensky having indicated that teams from the two countries would be responsible for sorting out the details.

"We discussed at length today, in particular how to strengthen our defense cooperation," Giorgia Meloni said at a press conference.

“Italy, in particular, is very interested in the development of joint production, particularly in the field of drones, a sector in which we know well that Ukraine has become, in recent years, a reference country,” she said.

Zelensky traveled to Berlin on Tuesday, where he and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a strategic partnership focused on defense and drones.

The war in the Middle East has given kyiv the opportunity to showcase its drone expertise, acquired during more than four years of conflict with Russia. Mr. Zelensky thus dispatched specialists and visited countries targeted by attacks carried out by Iran, an ally of Moscow.

“Ukraine has developed a particular security agreement format, which we call the + Drone Deal + format,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.

“Our expertise, our military experience, our defense capabilities in the areas of drones, missiles, electronic warfare and data exchange: we propose to combine all this with the capabilities of our partners, so that we can support each other,” he explained through the intermediary by an Italian interpreter.

- Need for missiles -

“The number one diplomatic priority for Ukraine at the moment is cooperation on air defense,” the president wrote on X before his meeting with Meloni.

“We need air defense missiles every day – every day the Russians continue their strikes on our cities,” he added, the day after Russian attacks across Ukraine which left seven dead, including a child, according to regional authorities.

Zelensky also visited Norway on Tuesday, where he again agreed with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store to strengthen cooperation on defense and security.

In the wake of strong criticism from American President Donald Trump regarding Italy's refusal to join the war against Iran, Giorgia Meloni reaffirmed the need for the United States and Europe to work together on the Ukrainian issue.

"A divided West and a fractured Europe would be the only real gift we can