VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis met with Volodymyr Zelensky in the Vatican on Friday. It was the latest step in the Ukrainian president's trip to Europe to win support for his proposed “Victory Plan” to end the war with Russia.
The Pope and Ukrainian leaders held a 35-minute informal meeting. After personal talks and a presentation by the Ukrainian delegation in the Sala della Biblioteca, Francis presented Zelenskiy with flowers and a copper plate with an inscription that read: “Peace is a fragile flower.”
In response, Zelensky presented the Pope with an oil painting depicting the Bucha Massacre. Marichka's story. ” Bucha, on the northwest outskirts of Kiev, was occupied by Russian forces shortly after the all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and witnessed some of Russia's worst atrocities against civilians.
Late on Friday, President Zelensky met with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
“The discussion focused on ways to end the war situation and humanitarian situation in Ukraine and how to bring about a just and stable peace in Ukraine,” the Vatican said in a statement. , added that “a number of issues related to religious life in this country were also considered.”
Since the first Russian attack on Kiev, there have been numerous contacts between Francis and Zelenskiy through visits, letters, and phone calls.
In March, the pope drew some criticism from Ukrainian leaders when he suggested they should have the courage of a “white flag” in negotiations to end the war with Russia, in what many interpreted as a call for surrender. did.
Francis has repeatedly urged an end to the war, focusing on a prisoner exchange and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi was sent as a special envoy with the mission of easing tensions between the warring parties, meeting with political and church leaders from around the world. His mission was, among other things, to encourage the exchange of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war and to find ways to facilitate the return to Russia of children deported from Ukraine.
President Zelensky will travel to various parts of Europe to promote his plan against Russia “aimed at creating the right conditions for a just end to the war” after his summit with President Joe Biden was derailed by Hurricane Milton. has been making its proposals known to its European allies. .
On Thursday, President Zelensky met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome.
He is scheduled to visit Germany later on Friday and meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Ukraine's leaders have not yet publicly announced the details of their “victory” proposal. But the timing of his efforts to lock in European support appears to have the looming US election in mind. Former President Donald Trump has long criticized U.S. aid to Kiev.
Ukraine's understaffed and understaffed military is currently under intense pressure in the country's eastern Donetsk region. Russian troops have driven Donetsk out of the Donetsk town of Vkhledar and now control about half of nearby Tretsk, local administrator Vasyl Chinchuk said on Friday. To stem the losses, Zelenskiy needs to secure even more support.
