Thank you, Volodymyr. Good afternoon everyone.

I am particularly proud to be here in Kyiv, the city that represents the heart of the fight for Europe’s freedom. I am particularly proud to be here on such a significant day. I am honoured to be able to share this moment with you, but I also think the presence of top EU institutions - the President of the European Commission, the President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union - is very symbolic, as indeed is my presence as President of the G7 (this afternoon we will be holding the first meeting of G7 Heads of State and Government under the Italian Presidency from here) and that of the future President of the G7.

I therefore believe that all this today is very symbolic, because it is clearly further confirmation of our firm support for Ukraine: European support, transatlantic support, that Italy is determined to once again strongly affirm, as a member of the European Union and as current G7 President. 

However, this support is not just about symbols; as can be seen today, this support is above all about concrete facts. With regard to Italy, the most important of these, as President Zelensky mentioned, is the signing of an agreement regarding our guarantees for Ukraine’s security. In fact, this agreement articulates the commitment undertaken last July, together with the other members of the G7, in the margins of the NATO Summit in Vilnius. Other countries have already fulfilled this commitment, and others will deliver on it too.

We continue to support Ukraine in what, as you know, I have always believed to be the legitimate right of its people to defend themselves. This necessarily also means military support, because confusing the much-vaunted word ‘peace’ with surrender, as some instrumentally do, is a hypocritical approach that we will never share. However, it is necessary to systematise the various lines of action, and a comprehensive approach is needed that can also help Ukraine look to the future: I am thinking of industrial cooperation; I am thinking of economic cooperation and cooperation on critical and energy infrastructure; I am thinking of humanitarian support.

By signing this agreement today, we are reaffirming that Italy will continue to ensure the necessary support for the freedom and independence of a nation under attack, helping it, together with the rest of the international community, to build its future. This is also why we are ready to play a leading role with regard to reconstruction too. We will do so during our G7 Presidency, and we will do so in 2025 when we host the Ukraine Recovery Conference, because talking about reconstruction means betting on Ukraine’s victory, on a future of peace, on a future of freedom, on a European future for this nation. Companies in Italy, Europe’s second largest industrial nation, with their expertise and their dynamism, are of course ready to do their part. 

We are already offering our contribution to the reconstruction of Odesa, where we have expressed our intention to restore and protect the city’s wonderful cultural heritage, which we helped to have included on the UNESCO list of world heritage in danger. We very concretely and firmly supported the decision to open European Union accession negotiations, as indeed we did the revision of the EU’s multiannual budget, allowing us to ensure lasting support for the next four years. In short, we have all committed ourselves, and I also wish to thank all my colleagues for this.

The message I want to give today, to Volodymyr Zelensky once again, but above all to all the Ukrainian people, is that they are not alone. We want you all to know that we are deeply grateful to these people, for continuing to fight to defend Europe, for our security, because quite simply Ukraine’s security and Europe’s security are one and the same.

Today’s anniversary is obviously a source of great pride, for the two years of heroic resistance by the Ukrainian people, a real black swan of history, something that many did not imagine; however, it is also a painful anniversary for those continuing to pay a high price in terms of bloodshed in order to reach the just and lasting peace that is their right and that we are all supporting with our work.

Ukraine is fighting for the whole of Europe, in the interest of the whole of Europe. We are well aware of that, which is why we will be by its side for as long as necessary. By being here today, by being here together, also by taking concrete action, we are sending that signal loud and clear.

Thank you, President Zelensky.

[Courtesy translation]