Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Rome, where he is meeting political leaders and having an audience with Pope Francis, EDnews informs via BBC.
"An important visit for approaching victory of Ukraine!" he tweeted as he landed in the Italian capital.
He met Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella and is now at Vatican talks with the pope.
A huge security operation greeted the visit, with more than 1,000 police deployed and a no-fly zone over Rome.
President Zelensky held a private meeting with his counterpart President Mattarella, then met Ms Meloni for a working lunch.
Italy historically has strong ties with Moscow.
Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the conservative Forza Italia party, is an old friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. They went on trips together and exchanged birthday gifts.
Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister, has frequently voiced pro-Russian sentiments and criticised military assistance to Ukraine. President Zelensky is not expected to meet either Mr Salvini or Mr Berlusconi during his trip.
At the news conference that followed the meeting between President Zelensky and Ms Meloni, the Ukrainian leader invited "all the Italian political leaders and representatives of civil society" to visit Ukraine.