Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met today with the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, and thanked him for the Vatican's efforts to return children abducted during the war with Russia to their families.
Zelensky and the pope suggested that the Vatican host peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, which has been going on since 2022, something that was also proposed by the United States (US), while Moscow did not accept.
The President of Ukraine arrived in Rome today to participate in a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, and during his three-day visit he will meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and US envoy Keith Kellogg.
The Vatican said the pope and Zelensky discussed the conflict with Russia and, it said, "the urgent need for a just and lasting peace."
"The Holy Father expressed his sorrow for the victims and renewed his prayers and closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging every effort aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for common solutions," the Vatican said in a statement, adding that the pope is ready to welcome Russian and Ukrainian officials for negotiations.
Zelensky told reporters after his meeting with the pope that he was grateful for the Vatican's efforts to help return the kidnapped Ukrainian children.
The international community has condemned authorities in Russia for illegally deporting Ukrainian families, including children, since the beginning of the war.
UN-backed experts have estimated that around 20.000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported or transferred from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.
The Pope has condemned what he called the "senseless war" in Ukraine, and he recently met with Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops and pilgrims.
"It is not easy to find words of comfort for the families who have lost loved ones in this senseless war. I suppose it is also for you, who are in daily contact with people wounded in heart and body," he told the bishops.
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