Vatican could host Russia-Ukraine peace talks, Pope Leo tells Zelensky
The Vatican did not say how long the meeting between Pope Leo and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lasted.
– Pope Leo told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 8 that the Vatican is willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the Vatican said in a statement.
The Pope, meeting the Ukrainian leader for the second time in his two-month-old papacy, also discussed with Mr Zelensky 'the urgent need for a just and lasting peace', the statement said.
Mr Zelensky and Pope Leo held talks in Castel Gandolfo, a small Italian hill town not far from Rome, where the Pope is taking a two-week vacation.
The Ukrainian leader is in Italy to attend a conference on July 10 to 11 dedicated to Ukraine's recovery and long-term reconstruction following Russia's invasion.
The Vatican did not say how long the meeting between Pope Leo and Mr Zelensky lasted. It released a video showing Pope Leo, the first US pontiff, asking Mr Zelensky, 'How are things going?' in English as the two sat in a large room together.
Pope Leo, who has made
appealing for peace in world conflicts a major theme of his young papacy, previously met Mr Zelensky at the Vatican on May 18.
The Pope also held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4, during which the Vatican said he had asked Mr Putin to take concrete steps to end Russia's bloody three-year war on Ukraine.
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US President Donald Trump suggested in May that Pope Leo had offered to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks, but the Pope had not previously spoken about the possibility of such a summit.
Russian officials had previously told Reuters that they do not see the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because the Holy See is surrounded by Nato member Italy, which has supported Ukraine and taken part in European Union sanctions against Russia. REUTERS
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