LIVE UPDATES: Italy's Ruling Parties Reportedly Drafting Resolution to Keep Arming Kiev in 2023

Pope Francis said on Monday that he would not go to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev without visiting Russia's Moscow as well.

"I also thought of traveling, but I made the decision: If I travel, I go to Moscow and to Kiev, to both, not to one place only," the pontiff told Jesuit magazine America.

Pope Francis stated that after the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine in February, he expressed his readiness to visit Russia but received a letter from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying that there was no need for such a visit yet.

During his pastoral trip to Bahrain earlier in November, Pope Francis confessed his love for the Russian and Ukrainian peoples and confirmed that the Holy See is "doing what it has to do" to peacefully resolve the Ukrainian crisis. He also repeatedly urged people to pray for peace in Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold a meeting on Monday with ministries and advisers on the issue of ammunition shortages, with the federal government potentially spending $20.8 billion of public funds to replenish supplies, German cabinet spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Monday.

Last week, German media reported that the country's chancellor will convene an emergency meeting early this week to address ammunition shortages in the German army, caused in part by supplies to Ukraine and budget problems.

"Of course, there will be a substantive discussion of the ammunition issue that is occupying us. It is in the perspective that the federal government and the Bundestag want to spend 20 billion euros [$20.8 billion] of the budget to replenish supplies," the spokesman said during the briefing, commenting on today's governmental meeting.

Since Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Western countries have been providing Kiev with humanitarian, military and financial aid. Moscow has denounced the flow of weapons to Ukraine from its Western allies, saying it adds fuel to the fire. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia.

On Sunday, top Vatican diplomat Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said that the Holy See is ready to provide a venue for peace negotiations on Ukraine.

"Recently, the Kiev-controlled media have been actively spreading fake information about Russia allegedly planning to withdraw from Energodar and leave the Zaporozhye NPP. This information is not true," the city administration said on Telegram.

The Zaporozhye NPP remains under Russian control, with the operational safety of the facility fully ensured, the administration added.

The United Kingdom intends to continue providing Kiev with the current amount of military support in 2023, or even boost it, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to say in his Monday speech.

"Be in no doubt. We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will maintain or increase our military aid next year. And we will provide new support for air defence, to protect the Ukrainian people and the critical infrastructure that they rely on. By protecting Ukraine, we protect ourselves," Sunak is expected to say in his first major foreign policy speech since becoming prime minister, as quoted by UK media.

On Friday, the British government said that, during his visit to Kiev, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced an additional $3.6 million aid package to rebuild Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.