Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of the European leaders closest to Donald Trump, said on Thursday she believed the U.S. president-elect would defend Western interests once he took office and would not abandon Ukraine.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni promised to keep supporting Ukraine, as the leader of the embattled nation, Volodymyr Zelensky, reached Rome for talks on Thursday evening. Meloni welcomed Zelensky at her official residence for a private discussion that lasted just under an hour.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Rome on Thursday for evening talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. She welcomed Zelensky to her official residence for their discussion, television footage showed.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, wants to meet with the US President, Joe Biden, in Rome. Biden's visit to the Eternal City is a farewell one. The Italian newspaper "Il Messaggero" reported the information about Zelensky's plans.