Italy's Meloni criticizes Putin's speech ahead of Zelenskiy talks

Meloni reached the Ukrainian capital onboard a train coming from Poland, in her first visit to the war-battered country since taking office in October at the helm of a right-wing coalition.

"A part of my heart hoped for some different words, for a step ahead. It was propaganda," Meloni said during a visit to Irpin, a town in the outskirts of Kyiv where mass graves were found after Russian troops left.

Speaking to his country's political and military elites on Tuesday, Putin said Moscow would achieve its war aims in Ukraine and accused the West of trying to destroy Russia.

Meloni's trip to Ukraine comes one day after US President Joe Biden visited the capital, ahead of the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Before Irpin, where she handed over aid to residents, Meloni visited Bucha, another town where atrocities allegedly took place. Russia has denied accusations that its forces were behind war crimes in the two towns.

In Bucha, Meloni laid flowers at a memorial for war victims. She was expected to meet Zelenskiy later in the day.

"We have been with you from the beginning and we will be with you to the end. You have all our support," said an emotional Meloni.

The Italian leader has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, but junior partners in her coalition have been ambiguous on the issue.

Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, an old friend of Putin, said earlier this month that he would not want to meet with Zelenskiy and blamed him for the war, triggering an angry reaction from Kyiv.

However, Meloni reiterated her commitment to supply Ukraine with weapons during a stop off in Warsaw on Monday, where she met her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki.

Italy and France recently finalized talks over delivery of an advanced air defense system to Kyiv in the spring, but Italian help is unlikely to stretch to supplying war planes.

"I think it is practically impossible that we may send Italian fighter jets," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Tuesday's La Stampa newspaper.