Zelensky meets US envoy Keith Kellogg, Italy's president Sergio Mattarella and Pope Leo XIV on eve of Rome talks.Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky opened the fourth edition of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on Thursday.The two-day conference, a key platform where Ukraine and its partners convene to discuss priority recovery sectors, is taking place at the futuristic Nuvola venue in Rome's EUR district. In her speech, Meloni said that "investing in Ukraine is an investment in ourselves", adding that commitments worth more than €10 billion for the country's reconstruction would be announced during the Rome conference. "Such broad, high-level participation in this conference sends an important message to the world" - Italian premier Giorgia Meloni said - "Each of us is here to do our part for a common goal: to look beyond the unbearable injustice that has been inflicted on the Ukrainian people for more than three years and to be able to imagine a rebuilt, free, and prosperous Ukraine." Addressing the conference, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said: "For millions of Ukrainians - soldiers, teachers, doctors, farmers, Ukrainians from all walks of life - the future has two flags. The flag of Ukraine and that of Europe. The main objective of this Recovery Conference is to accompany Ukraine towards the future. And Ukraine’s future is Europe. Let’s make it happen together.” Russian conductor and staunch Putin ally Gergiev sparks political row in Italy "Everything Russia destroyed can be rebuilt; we need a clear recovery plan, like the Marshall Plan", Zelensky said, emphasising that "rebuilding Ukraine also concerns your countries, your companies, your jobs." The high-level political event is dedicated to the recovery and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against the country, involving thousands of businesses, international organisations and development banks. Ahead of the conference, Zelensky called for heavy sanctions targeting Russia's oil industry after Ukraine was bombed heavily by Moscow again overnight. On Wednesday Zelensky said he had "substantive" talks in Rome with US president Donald Trump's special envoy Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, discussing "weapons supplies and strengthening air defense". Zelensky met on Wednesday with Italian president Sergio Mattarella who assured him of Italy's "full support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine". Pope Leo XIV received Zelensky in a private audience at the Castel Gandolfo papal residence on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the Holy See press office. The meeting centred on efforts to end hostilities and find a just and lasting solution to the war in Ukraine, with the pontiff reiterating the willingness of the Vatican as a potential location to host negotiations between representatives of Ukraine and Russia. The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) has been held annually since 2022, with previous editions taking place in Lugano, London and Berlin. Photo credit: miss.cabul / Shutterstock.com.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky opened the fourth edition of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on Thursday. The two-day conference, a key platform where Ukraine and its partners convene to discuss priority recovery sectors, is taking place at the futuristic in Rome's EUR district. In her speech, Meloni said that "investing in Ukraine is an investment in ourselves", adding that commitments worth more than €10 billion for the country's reconstruction would be announced during the Rome conference. "Such broad, high-level participation in this conference sends an important message to the world" - Italian premier Giorgia Meloni said - "Each of us is here to do our part for a common goal: to look beyond the unbearable injustice that has been inflicted on the Ukrainian people for more than three years and to be able to imagine a rebuilt, free, and prosperous Ukraine." Addressing the conference, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said: "For millions of Ukrainians - soldiers, teachers, doctors, farmers, Ukrainians from all walks of life - the future has two flags. The flag of Ukraine and that of Europe. The main objective of this Recovery Conference is to accompany Ukraine towards the future. And Ukraine’s future is Europe. Let’s make it happen together.”

• Russian conductor and staunch Putin ally Gergiev sparks political row in Italy

"Everything Russia destroyed can be rebuilt; we need a clear recovery plan, like the Marshall Plan", Zelensky said, emphasising that "rebuilding Ukraine also concerns your countries, your companies, your jobs." The high-level political event is dedicated to the recovery and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against the country, involving thousands of businesses, international organisations and development banks. Ahead of the conference, Zelensky called for heavy sanctions targeting Russia's oil industry after Ukraine was bombed heavily by Moscow again overnight. On Wednesday Zelensky said he had "substantive" talks in Rome with US president Donald Trump's special envoy Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, discussing "weapons supplies and strengthening air defense". Zelensky met on Wednesday with Italian president Sergio Mattarella who assured him of Italy's "full support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine". Pope Leo XIV received Zelensky in a private audience at the  on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the Holy See press office. The meeting centred on efforts to end hostilities and find a just and lasting solution to the war in Ukraine, with the pontiff reiterating the willingness of the Vatican as a potential location to host negotiations between representatives of Ukraine and Russia. The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) has been held annually since 2022, with previous editions taking place in Lugano, London and Berlin. Photo credit: miss.cabul / Shutterstock.com.