US EditionPope Leo XIV Offers Vatican as Venue for Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks
- Pope Leo XIV offered the Vatican as a venue for a direct meeting between Ukrainian President Zelensky and Russian President Putin on May 17, 2025.
- The offer followed recent peace talks in Istanbul on May 16, 2025, where Ukraine and Russia held their first direct negotiations since 2022 but only exchanged 1,000 prisoners each without a ceasefire agreement.
- Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin described the Istanbul talks as 'tragic' yet expressed hope the Vatican can support a slow process toward peace amid persistent disagreements.
- President Zelensky warmly praised the Holy See’s coherent position and invited the Pope to Kyiv, while Putin hoped relations with the Vatican would continue on shared Christian values.
- Pope Leo XIV's proposal underscores the Vatican’s commitment to promoting dialogue and calls for peace, respect for human dignity, the freeing of detainees, and the repatriation of children displaced by the conflict in Ukraine.
282 Articles
282 Articles
Leo XIV wants to try what Trump failed to achieve – to create peace between Moscow and Kyyiv. His dilemma: as a mediator, he must be neutral. But as Pope, he must not remain silent about Russian war crimes.
Leo XIV, the first American pope, has somehow overshadowed in Russia the popularity of the American emperor, acting in some way as an alternative in the image of the West "anglosassone" so reproached by the Kremlin. Moreover, today the Russian Church is breaking with almost all the other Orthodox Churches, starting from the patriarchate of Constantinople, while the dialogue with Rome has never been interrupted,
EU bishops say Pope Leo XIV is ‘ready to listen’ to concerns about war, populism
The flag of the European Union. / Credit: U. J. Alexander/Shutterstock Vatican City, May 23, 2025 / 12:25 pm (CNA). The leadership of the European bishops’ conference said Pope Leo XIV did not speak as much as he was “welcoming, available, and ... [...]
Some argue that a protected dialogue of aggressor and attack could take place behind the Vatican walls. However, reservations remain.
According to Bloomberg sources, the President of the Russian Federation will not go to the Vatican for "security reasons", and Moscow prefers to focus on technical negotiations in Istanbul format.
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