Italy

ROME (AP) — Two Ukrainian women whose husbands are defending a besieged steel plant in the southern city of Mariupol are calling for any evacuation of civilians to also include soldiers, saying they fear the troops will be tortured and killed if left behind and captured by Russian forces.

“The lives of soldiers matter too. We can’t only talk about civilians,” said Yuliia Fedusiuk, 29, the wife of Arseniy Fedusiuk, a member of the Azov Regiment in Mariupol.

ROME, April 28 (Reuters) - Face masks will remain compulsory in Italy on public transport and in some indoor venues until June 15, the health minister said on Thursday, as one of the country's hardest hit by COVID delayed an end to pandemic restrictions.

Masks will still be required to access cinemas, theatres, indoor events and to enter hospitals, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said, adding that the government intends to be cautious in lifting the remaining measures.

ROME, April 27 (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Wednesday told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Rome fully supports his country and is ready to contribute to finding a lasting solution to the crisis, Draghi's office said in a statement.

The phone conversation between the two leaders focused on the latest developments in the situation on the ground in Ukraine and assistance to the country in the face of Russia's invasion, the statement added.

ROME, April 26. /TASS/: The European Union intends to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas by two-thirds by the end of 2022 and bring it to zero by the end of 2027, European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni said in an interview with the Messaggero newspaper published on Tuesday when commenting on the RePower EU program announced in March.

ROME, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The eastward expansion of the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) toward Russia is a major root cause of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which could take a heavy toll on the European economy, an Italian economist has said.

NATO EXPANSION RED LINE FOR RUSSIA

Michele Geraci, former undersecretary of state at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that the military alliance's moves have created two main problems for Russia.

ROME, April 22. /TASS/: Europe will continue to provide military aid to Ukraine and will increase it, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said in an interview with the Repubblica newspaper published on Friday, noting that the goal is to "prevent Moscow’s attempts to establish control over Ukraine."

ROME, April 19 (Reuters) - Western leaders agreed on the need to put more pressure on Russia and to increase Moscow's international isolation following its invasion of Ukraine, an Italian government statement said on Tuesday.

The leaders - including Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson - shared "deep concern" for the prolonged hostilities in Ukraine and said a swift ceasefire was needed.

ROME, April 18 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian mayor described hours of "hard" interrogations when held for almost a week by Russian forces last month and said he had appealed to the pope for help to stop a war that had wrecked swathes of his city in southern Ukraine.

"It was a dangerous six days because I understood that for Russians my life and the lives of civilians were worth zero," Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol which is now under Russian control, said in Rome on Sunday, a month after his release.

ROME, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi has tested positive for COVID-19, the government said in a statement on Monday.

Draghi, 74, who is fully vaccinated, "is asymptomatic," according to the statement.

His schedule has been curtailed, including a planned trip to Angola and the Republic of the Congo scheduled for April 20-21. The statement said Draghi will be replaced by Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani for the trip.

ROME, April 13. /TASS/: The European Space Agency (ESA) has taken a decision to stop cooperation with Russia on its missions Luna-25, Luna-26 and Luna-27, ESA said in a statement on Wednesday, made available to TASS.

"ESA’s Director General has initiated a comprehensive review of all activities currently undertaken in cooperation with Russia and Ukraine," the statement says.

In particular, "ESA will discontinue cooperative activities with Russia on Luna-25, -26 and -27."