Zelensky at Italian mini-Davos to plead Ukraine's case

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending the Cernobbio forum in Italy on Saturday, where he is expected to reiterate his calls for more weapons in the face of the Russian advance in the east of his country.

The leader is due to address around 7:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. GMT) participants in the European House-Ambrosetti forum in Cernobbio, a sort of mini-Davos being held until Sunday on the shores of Lake Como (north).

He arrived there on Friday a few hours after demanding “more weapons” from his allies, during a meeting of Kiev's international supporters at the American air base in Ramstein, in western Germany.

Mr. Zelensky said on Telegram that he planned to meet with representatives of Italian businesses and with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday in Cernobbio.

The latter is expected to assure him of her full support, even though one of his right-wing and far-right coalition partners, Matteo Salvini, is fiercely opposed to any incursion by kyiv into Russian territory, such as the Ukrainian army has been carrying out since early August.

A meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Viktor Orban, who opposes Western aid to Ukraine and is close to the Kremlin, has not been confirmed at this stage, but the Hungarian nationalist prime minister said he would “of course” meet the Ukrainian president in Cernobbio if the opportunity arose.

“We have a good relationship,” Mr Orban assured journalists. “If there is no dialogue, there is no chance of peace.”

– Long-range weapons –

During their last face-to-face meeting in Kiev at the beginning of July, Mr. Orban had called on Mr. Zelensky to consider a “ceasefire quickly”, illustrating their differences but also those between Budapest and most Europeans.

Mr Zelensky had insisted on the importance of a “just peace” for his country, recalling that Ukraine demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory and the payment of reparations as a condition of any ceasefire.

Viktor Orban had sparked anger and incomprehension within the EU by visiting Vladimir Putin a few days later.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European House-Ambrosetti forum in Cernobbio, Italy, on September 6, 2024 © AFP – Piero CRUCIATTI

Standing firm, the Hungarian leader, whose country holds the EU presidency, reaffirmed on Friday that the search for peace, via negotiations, required a prior ceasefire.

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Closing Kiev and Moscow, he nevertheless considered that “neither party intends to make peace”.

Two and a half years after the launch of the Russian invasion, Ukraine is struggling: its offensive, which began in early August in the Russian region of Kursk, has not helped to stop Moscow's advance in the East.

The Russian army is increasing its deadly bombings, such as the recent one on a military institute in Poltava, in central Ukraine, which left at least 55 dead.

In Ramstein, Mr Zelensky reiterated his demand to be able to use long-range weapons supplied by his partners “not only on the occupied territory of Ukraine, but also on Russian territory” to destroy the bases from which Moscow launches its missiles.

In Italy, he insisted that under no circumstances would these weapons be used to strike civilians or non-military targets.

Several major countries, including his two main arms suppliers, the United States and Germany, nevertheless continue to balk for fear of an escalation with Moscow, which regularly raises the nuclear threat.

Ukraine: the front line near Donetsk © AFP – Nalini LEPETIT-CHELLA, Sabrina BLANCHARD, Valentin RAKOVSKY

“I don't think that a single specific capability will be decisive,” declared US Secretary of State for Defense Lloyd Austin after the meeting in Germany, saying that Ukraine should rely on the combination of the different armaments.

His German counterpart Boris Pistorius said Berlin's position on the matter was unchanged.

– New aid –

Lloyd Austin announced a new military aid package of $250 million that “will help increase the capabilities” of Ukraine. “The Kremlin continues to bomb Ukrainian cities and attack Ukrainian civilians. This is a scandal,” he said.

London also announced a £162 million (€192 million) contract for 650 lightweight short-range multirole missiles, which can be fired from a variety of land, sea and air platforms.

Mr. Pistorius, for his part, announced the sending of twelve Type 2000 howitzers, including six this year and the rest in 2025, for a total of 150 million euros.

Canada plans to send an additional 80,840 small unarmed air-to-ground rockets to Ukraine as well as 1,300 warheads in the coming months, its Defense Minister Bill Blair also announced in a statement.

Berlin confirmed on Wednesday new deliveries of Iris-T air defense systems that should help intercept Russian missiles.

While they regularly reaffirm their unwavering solidarity, many governments are faced with divided public opinion as the war is getting bogged down.

kyiv is all the more worried because the time of large aid packages from the United States — where a return to the helm of Donald Trump is not excluded — seems to be over.

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