Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella in Rome on Saturday, a spokesman for the Italian presidency told AFP.
A Vatican source also admitted on Friday the possibility of a meeting between Zelensky and Pope Francis, according to the French news agency.
Vatican sources said on Thursday that “it is possible that the Pope will meet with the Ukrainian president on Saturday” when asked about Zelensky’s possible visit to Rome, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The Pope received Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal two weeks ago and met with Zelensky in February 2020, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Vatican has said it is involved in a peacekeeping mission to try to end the war in Ukraine, without disclosing details.
Mattarella will receive Zelensky at the Quirinal Palace, but the time of the meeting has not been announced, ANSA said, also citing sources in Rome.
The visit to Italy is part of a series of visits by Zelensky to European Union (EU) countries.
Zelensky recently visited Helsinki, the capital of Finland, and The Hague, in the Netherlands.
German media reported that he will travel to Berlin in the coming days to meet with Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, ANSA added.
Italy has been providing military aid to kyiv and supporting Western sanctions against Moscow since the Russian invasion, which began on February 24, 2022.
Source: TSF
