The topics of conversation between Pope Francis and Zelensky, in the meeting that lasted about 40 minutes, were related to “the humanitarian and political situation in Ukraine caused by the current war,” the Vatican said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he thanked Pope Francis for paying attention to the plight of millions of Ukrainians after the Russian invasion. “I am very grateful to him for his personal attention to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians,” Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that they also discussed the fate of “tens of thousands of children” who Kiev says have been deported to Russia. “We have to do everything we can to get them home,” he added.
Zelensky also revealed that he had worked out with the pope a Ukrainian peace plan that Kiev promoted for several months, but which Moscow repeatedly rejected.
Zelensky’s visit to the Vatican took place on his first trip to Italy since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In addition to his first meeting with Francis since the start of the war, the Ukrainian head of state also met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. and President Sergio Mattarella.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope took note of his “continuous prayers”, witnessed by the “several public appeals” he has made as he “prayed to the Lord for peace since February last year”.
“Both [os líderes] agree on the need to continue humanitarian efforts in support of the population,” he stressed.
Pope Francis also stressed the “urgent need for humane gestures towards the most vulnerable people, the innocent victims of the conflict,” the Vatican spokesman said.
In turn, Zelensky expressed to the pope his “great honor” to see him, holding his hand next to his heart, thanking the pope for “the visit,” according to television footage recorded at the beginning of the meeting, which has already been released. occurred. finished. .
The Pope presented Zelensky with a bronze artwork depicting an olive branch, a symbol of peace, as well as this year’s Message for Peace, the Encyclical on Fraternity and Social Friendship, and a Document on Peace in Ukraine.
In turn, the Ukrainian leader presented him with a work of art made with a bulletproof vest and a painting titled “Loss”, about the death of children during the conflict.
This is the first meeting of Pope Francis with the Ukrainian president since the beginning of the war, although the two already know each other, because Francis received Zelensky in an audience on February 8, 2020, when they spoke about “the humanitarian situation and the search for peace in the context of the conflict that has been raging in Ukraine since 2014.
This new meeting falls within the scope of the Vatican’s peacekeeping mission announced by the pope on the return flight from his recent trip to Hungary, the details of which are not yet known, although a Vatican source has stated to Russian media that the meeting ” was not directly involved” and that Zelensky had requested the meeting with Francis “just a few days ago”.
Moreover, the meeting takes place at a time when a Ukrainian counter-offensive is expected, with which Kiev wants to recapture a large part of the territory occupied by the Russian army.
For all these reasons, the meeting raised great expectations, according to the Efe agency, as many expected it to be a starting point for difficult and complex negotiations, namely the humanitarian issue.
On April 27, the Pope received the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, who repeated his invitation to visit Ukraine, a trip to which Francis always replied that he would make it if he could also go to Moscow.
Source: DN
