"Ukraine deeply appreciates all the support of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and the Holy See the ongoing humanitarian assistance and the readiness to expand humanitarian missions, Zelenskyy wrote on X after the audience at the Vatican. He said he thanked the pontiff for his constant prayers for Ukraine and for calls for a just peace, adding that he briefed him on mediation efforts to return our children abducted by Russia."
"The meeting took place at St Peter's Basilica, the same setting where Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump were pictured sitting face-to-face at the funeral of Pope Francis in April, after a period of public criticism between the two leaders in Washington. Kyiv is seeking to shore up international backing at a crucial moment, with attempts to broker a settlement advancing and the war, soon entering its fourth year."
"Ukraine has resisted pressure from Washington to quickly accept a ceasefire proposal that officials in Kyiv view as favouring Moscow. Zelenskyy said a revised peace plan now contained 20 points, though there was still no agreement on Russia's demand that Ukraine surrender occupied territory, which has become the major sticking point in negotiations. He said Ukraine would share the updated proposals with the US this week, and remained in constant contact with officials in Washington."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Pope Leo XIV in Rome and held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after meetings in London with leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Zelenskyy thanked the pontiff for humanitarian assistance, prayers, and calls for a just peace, and briefed him on mediation efforts to return children abducted by Russia, inviting the Pope to visit Ukraine. Kyiv seeks to shore up international backing as the war nears its fourth year. Ukraine resists pressure to accept a ceasefire seen as favouring Moscow and has produced a revised 20-point peace plan, with no agreement on surrendering occupied territory.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]