ROM: Pope Leo XIV has offered to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in the Vatican.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed the pope’s offer after talking to him and said he is ready to help bring both sides to the table and work to end the war.
Meloni consulted Leo after a phone call on Monday between US President Donald Trump and his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin, her office said.
Trump spoke to European leaders, including Meloni after the call, and she was asked to confirm the pope’s emergency preparedness to host conversations, her office said.
Meloni spoke to the pope on Tuesday and noticed “The Saint Father’s willingness to host upcoming discussions between the Vatican parties,” it said.
She thanked the pope for “his unwavering commitment to peace”.
Meloni also spoke on Tuesday with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and several other world leaders to maintain “close coordination” for peace talks, it added.
The latest efforts to solve the war after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine have not made any breakthrough, and Putin has rejected Kyiv’s ceasefire.
Leo suggested the Vatican’s mediation to the warring parties last week at a collection of representatives of the Eastern Christian churches.
