US peace efforts on Ukraine should be supported, Meloni says after talks with Merz

ROME (Reuters) -Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke on Friday with her German counterpart Friedrich Merz and together they stressed the importance of supporting U.S. efforts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, her office said.

"In the conversation, the importance of supporting ongoing negotiating efforts was underlined and the ultimate goal of achieving a just and lasting peace, in the interest of Europe as a whole, was reaffirmed," Meloni's office said in a statement.

"The reference to solid security guarantees ... was welcomed. Other elements of the plan were deemed worthy of further examination," the statement added.

Washington has presented Kyiv with a 28-point plan, which calls for Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits to its military and renounce ambitions to join NATO.

The U.S. proposal promises Ukraine "robust security guarantees" but does not spell out what these might be.

(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Crispian Balmer, editing by Alvise Armellini)