French President Emmanuel Macron and the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emerged from talks on Tuesday at the Elysée Palace to underline their backing for Ukrainian resistance to Russia's invasion and highlight a palpable sense of unity over ways to halt flows of migrants fro North Africa.
"As Europeans and allies, it is our joint responsibility to continue to stand together to support the Ukrainian people, both economically, and in humanitarian and military terms," said Macron during a joint press conference with the Italian leader.
Turning to Meloni, he added: "And I want to thank you for the clarity of your commitment, your support and our cooperation in this area.
"In the very short term, our aid to Ukraine is obviously military, and we can be proud of ourselves for the excellent cooperation between our two countries in this area."
Before meeting Macron during her first official visit to France, Meloni had singled out the SAMP/T-MAMBA air defence system as a symbol of how the countries could work together.
Meloni said: "There is no doubt that Italy and France will continue to support Ukraine's cause for as long as it will be necessary, at all levels, simply because if we decided not to do so, we would be living in a world that would not be a world without war but a much more chaotic world, a world where war would come ever closer to our countries.
"What the Ukrainians are doing is also defending our freedom, defending a system in which the force of law prevails and not the law of the strongest."
Macron and Meloni met informally in Rome just after her appointment last September, and then held talks unofficially in March on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels about migration policy. They also spoke about the need to continue to work for European sovereignty in industrial policy and decarbonisation.
Fall
However, relations between the two countries degenerated early last month following comments from the French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who said that Meloni was incapable of fulfilling her pledge to voter about solving the migration problems In italy.
Antonio Tajani, Italy's Foreign Minister, cancelled his trip to Paris to meet his counterpart Catherine Colonna in the wake of Darmanin's outburst. Tajani branded the remarks as unacceptable.
The French Foreign Ministry distanced itself from Darmanin’s statement adding that ties between Italy and France had been founded on mutual respect.
Since then, the two capitals have been trying to bridge their differences.
And Meloni and Macron – who have been in contact with the Tunisian President Kais Saied – emphasised their push for solidarity over the issue of the number of migrants heading to Europe from Tunisia and help from donors such as the International Monetary Fund for the north African country.
"We are working together on Tunisia," added Meloni. "I am pleased to be able to do so, even with the full involvement of the European Union. So there is a European dimension to the desire to find a solution for a country that is currently experiencing difficulties that is at risk of getting out of hand.
"That's why, pragmatically and very seriously, we believe that we can all work together to find solutions for this country."
World Expo 2030
Before returning to Rome to host the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Meloni also passed by the Bureau International des Expositions to support Rome's bid for the 2030 World Expo.
The city is competing with Busan in South Korea, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Odessa in Ukraine to host the event.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and South Korea's President, Yoon Suk Yeol both visited France for an audience with Macron during their time in the city while also backing bids from their countries for the right to stage the extravaganza.
