Italian
Statements by Prime Minister Meloni at the meeting with Trump, Zelensky, and European leaders
WASHINGTON. At the high-level meeting held yesterday, Monday, August 18, 2025, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke at the opening session, which featured U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and leading European heads of state. The event marks a significant stage in the diplomatic path toward peace and international stability, particularly in relation to the war in Ukraine.
In her speech, Prime Minister Meloni emphasized the importance of this moment as the beginning of a new phase, after more than three years without any signs of openness to dialogue from Russia. She highlighted how the ongoing shift has been made possible by the courage of the Ukrainian people and the unity shown by international partners.
“If we want to achieve peace and ensure justice, we must do it together. You can, of course, count on Italy, as has been the case from the very beginning; we stand with Ukraine and firmly support efforts toward peace,” said Meloni.
Meloni also stressed the need to guarantee solid security assurances, describing them as the essential foundation of any peace agreement. She recalled that the proposal to draw inspiration from the ‘Article 5’ model—originally advanced by Italy—represents a concrete starting point for building a shared future of security and stability.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington in 1949, is the cornerstone of NATO. It establishes that an armed attack against one member state must be considered an attack against all. In practice, it commits each allied nation to respond—using whatever means it deems appropriate, including military force—to defend the country under assault and restore security in the Euro-Atlantic area. This principle of collective defense has, for over seventy years, guaranteed NATO’s military deterrence, preventing local conflicts from escalating into direct threats to Western states.
What makes Article 5 even more relevant today is its role as both a political and psychological guarantee: knowing that behind each country stands the strength of all others creates a powerful deterrent effect against anyone seeking to undermine the stability of Europe or North America. It is no coincidence that Article 5 has been invoked only once in history—after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001—when the allies mobilized in support of the United States. Today, with the war in Ukraine and the ongoing Russian threat, evoking that model means proposing a system that would provide Kyiv not only with diplomatic support but also with a genuine international protection network, essential to turning a future peace into a stable and lasting agreement.
Meloni reaffirmed that Italy will continue to advance proposals for peace and dialogue, underscoring that defending the security of European and allied nations must rest on collective commitment.
She concluded by thanking President Trump for his hospitality and for his role in promoting dialogue, confirming that the Italian government will remain at the forefront of every diplomatic initiative capable of bringing the conflict closer to an end and paving the way for reconstruction and reconciliation.
