Tajani says he's calling Kyiv in first act as foreign minister

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 22 - Foreign Minister and Deputy Premier Antonio Tajani said Saturday that his first act as the head of the foreign ministry will be to call his Ukraine counterpart Dmytro Kuleba to express Italy's "solidarity" as Kyiv fights against Russian invasion forces.
    The Forza Italia (FI) national coordinator told Mediaset's Tg4 news that Ukraine was "defending its independence with the support of NATO".
    FI leader and ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's was at the centre of a furore this week after an audio was released in which he told FI lawmakers he had re-established ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
    Tajani has repeatedly reiterated that he, Berlusconi and Forza Italia are firmly behind the Western line of backing Kyiv following Russia's invasion of its neighbour.
    Berlusconi said the comments were taken out of context. (ANSA).