Pope Leo XIV has received on Wednesday the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, in his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo and has reaffirmed the availability of the Vatican to host a negotiation with Russia.
“The Holy Father has reaffirmed the availability of receiving representatives of Russia and Ukraine for negotiations in the Vatican,” reads a brief statement from the Holy See.
During this “cordial” meeting the ongoing conflict and the urgency of fair and durable peace processes “were addressed.” In addition, the note adds, “the importance of dialogue as a privileged route to end hostilities has been defended.”
“The Holy Father has expressed his pain for the victims and renewed his own prayer and closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging any effort aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions,” the statement ends.
In recent months the Vatican has already been in favor of hosting an eventual negotiation between kyiv and the Kremlin but on this occasion the Pope has “reaffirmed” Zelenski.
This has been the second official meeting between the two after Leo XIV received Zelenski at an audience after the start of his pontificate, on May 18.
This time the meeting took place in the Barberini Villa of Castel Gandolfo, the town near Rome where Leo XIV has decided to rest during the summer, thus taking up a vacation tradition of the potatoes interrupted in Francisco’s almost 13 years.
The Ukrainian president arrived at the place at 1:30 p.m. (11.30 GMT) and was received at its doors by the head of the Pontifica House Prefecture, Leonardo Sapienza, and for a picket of honor of the Swiss Guard.
Zelenski is in Rome to preside tomorrow with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, the inauguration of the IV International Conference on Ukraine reconstruction that will be held on Thursday and Friday in the Italian capital. This afternoon will be received at the Palacio del Quirinal by the Head of the Italian State, Sergio Mattarella.
A few hours before, since the beginning of the war in February 2022, with a total of 741 air -attack vehicles between drones and missiles, Zelenski himself denounced.
On the other hand, from Moscow, the Ombudsman of Russia, Tatiana Moskalkova, announced on Wednesday that he has sent a letter to the Pope asking for help for the return of Russian citizens who are in Ukraine.
The new Pontiff held a first telephone conversation on June 4 with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who accused kyiv of causing an escalation in the conflict.
