Continued international support for Ukraine was top of the list in talks at the White House between Friday between US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

“I want to thank you for Italy’s unwavering support for Ukraine,” Biden said, speaking with his Italian counterpart in the Oval Office, AFP reported.

“We have each other’s backs. We also have Ukraine’s back.”

Biden pledged to urge Congress to pass a package with additional funding for national security needs, including more than $60 billion in assistance for Ukraine, White House spokesman John Kirby said.

A small group of far-right Republicans have thus far been able to block Ukraine aid from going forward in the US House of Representatives and the impasse has been hurting Ukraine which has been suffering battlefield setbacks due to a lack of ammunition.

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Meloni, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) nations, said Ukraine would be first and foremost on the agenda at the leaders’ summit in Italy in June.

The leaders also discussed other global challenges, including escalating conflicts in the Middle East, protecting international shipping in the Red Sea, and humanitarian support for Palestinians.

Meloni had visited Kyiv on Feb. 24, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

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