Pope Leo XIV and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wave from a balcony during their meeting in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 9, 2025. (photo credit: VATICAN MEDIA/SI via TJP.
Pope Leo XIV told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday that the Vatican was willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
The pope, meeting the Ukrainian leader for the second time in his two-month-old papacy, also discussed “the urgent need for a just and lasting peace,” the Vatican said in a statement.
Zelensky and Leo held talks in Castel Gandolfo, a small Italian hill town near Rome, where the pope is taking a two-week vacation.
Zelensky said on X/Twitter that holding talks with Russia in the Vatican would be “entirely possible, with the goal of stopping Russian aggression and achieving a stable, lasting, and genuine peace.”
But he said Moscow had rejected such proposals, “as it has turned down all other peace initiatives.”
Russian officials have told Reuters in the past that they did not see the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because it is surrounded by NATO member Italy, which has supported Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader is in Italy to attend a conference on July 10-11 dedicated to Ukraine’s recovery and long-term reconstruction following Russia’s invasion. – Reuters via TJP
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