Italy says to sign deal to rebuild Ukraine's Odesa and its cathedral

Italy will sign an agreement with Ukraine and the United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO to rebuild the city of Odesa and its cathedral which was badly damaged by a Russian attack, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday.

Ukraine said the Orthodox cathedral was damaged when it was hit during a Russian missile attack on the country's southern port city in July last year. Russia denied responsibility.

"On May 15 we will sign off on a deal with Kyiv and UNESCO here in Rome for the reconstruction of Odesa and its cathedral," Tajani told a question time session in the lower house of parliament.

In February, Italy and UNESCO had already signed an agreement in Kyiv to provide 500,000 euros ($511,000) towards the restoration of the roof of Odesa's Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi, or Transfiguration Cathedral.

"As the G7 presidency, we continue to work for a just peace," Tajani told lawmakers, adding that supporting Ukraine's energy system was also a priority for Italy.

Rome holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy nations until the end of this year.