Italian and Ukrainian FMs comment after talks

Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio reaffirmed his nation's support for Ukraine's "territorial integrity" and "sovereignty" in a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart on Monday.Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Di Maio said Italy has been encouraged by what he said was "a more constructive climate of dialogue."

In response to a question from Ukrainian journalists about combating Russian propaganda and fake news, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said his country will work to support a media which is "honest, open, and transparent".Prystaiko said they would strive to do it despite propaganda and "methods working against us that are not honest."

The conflict in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014.It began about two months after Ukraine's Russia-friendly president fled the country amid massive protests in Kyiv.Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula soon followed.

Hopes for end the fighting have risen since the April 2019 election of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has been more amenable to negotiations with Russia on ending the war.Prystaiko's visit follows Zelenskiy's three-day visit to Italy where he met with government officials and Pope Francis.

(Image Credits: AP)