It is the first time Meloni, who was sworn in as Italy's first woman premier in October, and Zelensky have met face-to-face, although they have spoken to each other at length by telephone.

Meloni and Zelensky were set to have bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit on Thursday, although sources said later in the day that the bilaterals had been scrapped due to time contraints.

Meloni, however, did get to have one-on-one talks with Zelensky, at the latter's request.

The bilateral had earlier been called off due to time constraints and replaced by the group session with leaders from Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands and Sweden.

That would have left Zelensky having bilaterals on the sidelines of the European Council in Brussels with just France and Germany.

During the course of the long conversation, diplomatic sources said, Meloni confirmed Italy's support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Zelensky voiced his strong gratitude for Rome's commitment to helping his country, they said.

Earlier in the day Meloni said that French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to invite Zelensky to Paris before the summit was "inopportune". German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also took part in the talks with Zelensky in Paris.

Our forces "must be united" Meloni said as she arrived at the summit.

Meloni also stressed that "Italy is fully committed" to supporting Kyiv after the Russian invasion, saying "our contribution" is so comprehensive that it is "360 degrees".

"We are aware that the Ukraine conflict involves us all," she added.

"I think the best way to build an option of dialogue and peace is to maintain the forces on the field on a balanced level.

"Supporting Ukraine is the best way to reach a possible negotiation. Rome wants to be a lead player, including in the stage of reconstruction".

When asked about Meloni's comments, Macron said he did not consider Wednesday's meeting to be out of place.

"As you know, Germany and France have had a special role on the Ukraine question for eight years," he said.

"I think it's up to Zelensky to choose the format he wants (for diplomatic talks)," he added.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday that Italy is not isolated over Ukraine after he and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto met their British counterparts, James Cleverly and Ben Wallace, in Rome.

"We feel we are lead players in the fight for Ukraine's independence," Tajani said.

He added that Italy was "not fighting against the Russian people.

"Today we didn't discuss sanctions, but the common commitment to guarantee Ukraine's independence," he said.

Meloni has said she will visit Kyiv before the first anniversary of Russia's invasion later this month.

ANSA