Zelensky met with Pope Leo XIV: what they talked about
9 December 16:15
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met again with Pope Leo XIV. According to the Vatican press service, the meeting took place on the morning of Tuesday, December 9, at the pontiff’s second residence in Castel Gandolfo, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The central topic of the conversation, which, according to observers, lasted about 30 minutes, was the war in Ukraine and ways to end it. In addition, they discussed the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia to their families. The Holy See has long been a mediator on these issues.
Pope Leo XIV “emphasized the need to continue the dialogue and reiterated his strong desire that ongoing diplomatic initiatives lead to a just and lasting peace,” the Vatican press service reports.
Zelensky has not yet commented on the new meeting with the pontiff. Judging by the published group photos of the meeting, the Ukrainian delegation, which included Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Andriy Hnatov, visited the Castel Gandolfo residence together with the president.
Earlier, Zelensky met with Leo XIV twice
on December 9, the meeting between the Ukrainian president and the head of the Holy See was their third in a row. For the first time, Zelensky met with Leo XIV on May 18, when he arrived in Rome on the occasion of the enthronement (official beginning of his ministry – Ed.) of the 267th pontiff. On the eve of that meeting, the pope expressed hope that “martyred Ukraine” would soon find “a lasting and just peace.”
The Ukrainian president then met with the pope on July 9. Then Leo XIV also received him off the record at the same residence in Castel Gandolfo. As the Holy See reported on that day, the pontiff at that meeting with Zelenskyy reaffirmed his readiness to provide a platform for peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
