(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 20 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday thanked Italy for its support in the war against Russia and reiterated that Rome could be among Kyiv's security guarantors after the conflicts ends.
    In any negotiations with Russia, he said "we need guarantors of future security, and we think Italy should be among these guarantors", he said in a video message to the Global Policy Forum of Italian geopolitical think tank ISPI.
    "We are grateful for the support of the Italian government".
    Referring to a vote in the Italian parliament Tuesday on providing further aid, including military aid, to Kyiv, Zelensky said: "Please support us".
    The Institute for International Political Studies - ISPI (full official name in Italian Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale), founded in 1934, is the oldest Italian think tank specialised in international affairs.
    Zelensky also issued a res calls for "more modern weapons" from Italy and its Western allies.
    He said it was a "decisive week" and that "the European Union should consider us as equal partners" ahead of EU leaders meeting this weekend to decide whether to approve of Kyiv's EU membership bid, an application that has already been approved by the European Commission, provided years of reforms are made.
    The EU on Monday relaunched military support fro Ukraine and reiterated that there was a grain alert that could spell famine for much of the poorer world.
    "There is a a risk of an unprecedented food crisis," Euroepan Union official said, as grain is currently blocked in Ukraine ports by Russian invaders.
    Meanwhile as gas supplied by Russia continued to be about half it was before the war started, the Italian government said Monday that a threshold fro calling an alarm would be assessed Tuesday and that Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani would meet major energy firms Wednesday, sources said.
    The price of gas continued to rise, to 126 euros per MWh.
    Russian energy giant Gazprom has said it will supply only 50% of the 63 million cubic metres of gas requested by Italy, Italian fuels giant Eni said.
    But increased gas supplies from Algeria have more than taken up the slack, with almost double coming in from the north African country than from Russia.
    The Italian government has been working hard to end the nation's reliance on Russian gas since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, reaching a series of agreements to boost supplies from elsewhere.
    The Italian government has "moved rapidly" to diversify suppliers by scrambling to set up alternatives with countries like Algeria, Angola, Congo, Libya, Egypt, Israel and Mozambique, Premier Mario Draghi said recently.
    Eni on Sunday joined the world's largest Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in Qatar.
    The Italian fuels giant was picked by QatarEnergy as new international partner for the expansion of the North Field East Project in the Gulf country.
    Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy Managing Director Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi signed a partnership accord for the creation of the new Joint Venture.
    QatarEnergy will hold a 75% interest while Eni the remaining 25% interest. The JV will hold 12,5% interest in the entire NFE project, including the 4 mega LNG trains with a combined capacity of 32 MTPA. (ANSA).