Italian Prime Minister Meloni meets with Xi Jinping to discuss war in Ukraine

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on 29 July, focusing on the situation in the Middle East and Russia's invasion of Ukraine

According to the Italian government's press service, the leaders "shared the positive development of relations between Italy and China" and emphasized the importance of "balanced, mutually beneficial cooperation based on mutual trust."

The discussions reportedly covered bilateral relations and priority international issues, "from the war in Ukraine to the risks of further escalation of the situation in the Middle East."

Meloni noted the increasing global tensions, saying that "China is inevitably a very important interlocutor to deal with all these events," and called for joint discussions on "how to ensure stability and peace."

The Italian Prime Minister also highlighted Italy's potential role in China-European Union relations, "trying to create the most balanced trade relations possible."

This four-day visit, which began on 27 July, marks Meloni's first trip to China as head of the Italian government. However, she had previously met Xi Jinping in November 2022 at the G20 summit in Indonesia.

The visit follows Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba's trip to Beijing on July 23-25, his first since Russia's full-scale invasion began. These diplomatic efforts come amid growing concerns about potential changes in US support for Ukraine leading up to the November presidential elections, with the possibility of former president Donald Trump returning to power and potentially cutting military aid to Ukraine if reelected.

Read also:

• China invites Ukraine’s foreign minister for talks on “achieving peace” with Russia
• EU Commission limits participation in Hungarian presidency events after Orbán’s visits to Russia and China
• Russia has become so economically isolated that China could order the end of its war in Ukraine