History of Diplomatic Relations Between Ukraine and Italy
Ukraine and Italy established diplomatic relations in 1992, soon after Ukraine independence from the
Soviet Union. The Italian government supported the 2004
Orange Revolution in Ukraine.[3] Italy also supported Ukraine's claim to the
Crimean Peninsula over Russia's claim in the 2014
Crimean Crisis.[4]
Like other Western European countries, Italy has welcomed Ukraine's attempts in recent years to have closer ties to the
European Union and
NATO. Nevertheless, Italian-Ukrainian relations are not entirely harmonious. Italy opened and maintains informal diplomatic offices in the
Donetsk People's Republic and the
Luhansk People's Republic. The DPR and LPR declared independence from Ukraine in 2014 with the help of
Russia, however Ukraine considers them to be rebellious provinces whose declarations of independence lacked legal basis (see
War in Donbass and
Russo-Ukrainian War). On a visit to Italy in February 2020, Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Italian Prime Minister
Giuseppe Conte to shut down Italy's "illegal" diplomatic offices in the DPR and the LPR.[5]