Italian leaders on Saturday pledged full military and financial support to Ukraine and reaffirmed their support for Kyiv’s bid to join the EU, welcoming President Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome, who is on his first visit to Italy since the start of the Russian invasion of his country, Reuters reports.

Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Sergio Mattarella, then with Prime Minister Georgia Maloney, and then headed to the Vatican for talks with Pope Francis.

Both Mattarella and Maloni reaffirmed Italy’s full support for Ukraine in terms of military, financial, humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in the short and long term.

At the press conference after the meeting with Zelenskyi, Georgia Maloney condemned the “brutal and unjust aggression” of Russia, promised to support Italy in Ukraine “as long as necessary” and called on Russia to withdraw immediately. “You cannot achieve peace through surrender,” she said, echoing an earlier comment by President Mattarella. “It would be a very serious precedent for all the nations of the world,” the head of government from Rome said.

She emphasized Italy’s support for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, as well as the “intensification” of partnership with NATO.

On its way to the presidential palace, Zelenskyi’s motorcade passed small groups of people with Ukrainian flags. One person had a sign condemning Russia.

Zelensky flew to Rome on an Italian government plane escorted by fighter jets over Italian airspace. On Sunday, he should be received in Berlin.