Putin tells new pope that Ukraine is bent on escalating conflict
MOSCOW, June 4 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Pope Leo for offering to help settle the Ukraine conflict and told him Kyiv is intent on "escalating" the war, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
A Kremlin statement said they spoke by phone but did not give a date. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the pope offered to host Russia-Ukraine negotiations at the Vatican.
"Gratitude was expressed to the Pontiff for his readiness to help settle the crisis, in particular the Vatican's participation in resolving difficult humanitarian issues on a depoliticised basis," the statement said.
Putin highlighted "that the Kyiv regime is banking on escalating the conflict and is carrying out sabotage against civilian infrastructure sites on Russian territory," the statement said, describing those acts as terrorism.
The Kremlin restated that the conflict's "root causes" must be addressed, a reference to Russian demands that Ukraine adopt a neutral status and NATO rule out eastward expansion.
Russia has sought to cultivate good ties with the new pope and his predecessor, Francis, especially on humanitarian issues, like family reunifications.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other officials have said the Vatican is not a suitable site for peace talks between two largely Orthodox Christian countries.
The Kremlin noted progress at direct talks this week with Ukrainian negotiators on exchanging prisoners and returning the remains of servicemen.
The Russian statement expressed hope the Vatican would "take a more active role" in calling for freedom of religion in Ukraine for members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that has historic links to Russia.
Ukrainian authorities have launched criminal proceedings against many of its clergy because of suspected sympathies for Moscow. A Kyiv-based Ukrainian Orthodox Church has grown larger in Ukraine during the war.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kemi Badenoch admits she is still learning how to lead the Tories: ‘It takes a while'
Kemi Badenoch has admitted she is still learning how to lead the Conservatives after seven months in job, amid dire poll ratings for the party. The Tory leader on Friday said 'it takes quite a while to learn how to do the job ' and that 'every week it gets better and better'. It came a day after her shadow chancellor promised she 'will get better', with the Conservatives tumbling in the polls and falling to fourth in a Scottish by-election on Thursday. 'She will get better through time at the media, she will get better through time at the dispatch box at PMQs,' Mel Stride said. Asked about his comments on Friday, Ms Badenoch said: 'People often assume that the minute you come into a job like being leader of the opposition, that you are ready to go. 'It actually takes quite a while to learn how to do the job, and what I have been saying is that every week it gets better and better. 'Every week I have more experience, and this is what every leader of the opposition has found from Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron.' She added that lots will change before the next general election, highlighting the outbreak of Covid and the war in Ukraine in the last election cycle. And Ms Badenoch said: 'There is going to be so much more that people are going to see, not just from me, but from the Conservative Party. 'We were down at the last election, but we are not out.' It came as the Tory leader shifted her party decisively in favour of pulling Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a stance her leadership rival Robert Jenrick has long called for the Conservatives to adopt. Ms Badenoch said the convention has become a "sword" to "attack democratic decisions", resulting in Britain being unable to police its borders and deport foreign criminals. 'This use of litigation as a political weapon is what I am calling lawfare. It isn't just damaging our security, it's also damaging our prosperity,' she said. She stopped short of vowing to adopt leaving the ECHR as policy, but said 'I do believe that we will likely need to leave'. And she said she had tasked a team of legal experts to look at how Britain could pull out of the convention and what the impact would be, promising to announce the results at the party's conference in October. Ms Badenoch all but guaranteed a set-piece moment at the Manchester meet in which she will formally call for Britain to ditch the ECHR. Delivering her speech in Westminster, Ms Badenoch also sought to stress that the Conservatives are still the main opposition to Labour, despite the party's dire performance in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. The Tories won just 6 per cent of the vote, with Labour fending off Reform UK and the SNP to win the seat. Answering questions after a speech on Friday, Mrs Badenoch dismissed Reform as a "protest party" and said claims it was the real opposition were "nonsense". Describing Reform as "another left-wing party", she said: "What they're trying to do is talk this situation into existence. "Labour is going to be facing the Conservative Party at the next election and we're going to get them out."
The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
'Two egos going at it': Americans not surprised by Trump and Musk feud
People in California, Washington and Texas say the relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk was 'doomed from the beginning'. The Tesla CEO called for the US president's impeachment and mocked his connections to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while Trump threatened to cancel federal contracts and tax subsidies for Musk's companies as the former allies clashed
Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Farage winning over Gen Z women
Nigel Farage is winning over Gen Z women, a new poll has found. Figures show that the Reform UK leader's popularity has surged after the announcement of proposed policies that could benefit young women. Mr Farage's share of support from women aged 18 to 26 nearly doubled, from 12 per cent to 21 per cent in May. It followed his pledge to scrap the two-child benefit cap and introduce a tax break for married couples. Right-wing parties have traditionally struggled to attract young female voters – but the latest poll, shared with Politico by the More in Common think tank, suggested that Reform could buck that trend. Mr Farage's growing influence has also been credited to a social media presence that boasts more than one million followers and 21 million likes on TikTok. Some of Reform's newest female recruits are believed to have defected from the Conservatives, like several of the party's highest-profile members.
