PPope Francis declared his readiness to meet with Putin and Zelensky for the sake of peace, the head of the Catholic Church expressed his readiness to mediate to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The Kremlin earlier questioned Kiev’s readiness for negotiations in the Vatican
St. Peter’s Square, Vatican
Pope Francis is open to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to discuss the settlement of the conflict. The pontiff himself told reporters about this during a flight from the Congo to the Vatican, writes Corriere della Sera.
“And I didn’t go to Kiev because at the same time it was impossible to go to Moscow,” Francis added.
He noted that on the second day after the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine, he came to the Russian embassy and expressed a desire to come to Moscow for talks with Putin, as long as there is a window for dialogue. According to him, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov, then told him: “Let’s do it later.”
The Pontiff in December last year considered that the conflict in Ukraine has become a “world war” and will not end in the near future. “Let’s not forget that. There are many hands that stir the cauldron of war. This is global,” Francis added then. He noted that a military conflict begins when the empire begins to weaken, when there are weapons that can be used, tested and sold, and when a lot is at stake. “What is happening in Ukraine is horrifying,” the Pope stressed.
Francis has repeatedly tried to help resolve the conflict. In October, he asked Putin “to stop this spiral of violence and death, including for the sake of his own people,” and Zelensky “to be open to serious proposals for peace.” At the end of November, the Vatican confirmed that they were ready to host talks between Moscow and Kiev.
“Of course, we welcome such political will. But in the situation that we now have de facto and de jure, such platforms cannot be in demand from the Ukrainian side,” they reacted to the proposal for negotiations in the Kremlin.
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Vladimir Putin
politician, president of Russia
October 7, 1952
Vladimir Zelensky
politician, President of Ukraine
January 25, 1978
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