Pope Francis, Russian Ambassador to Holy See Discuss Putin's Peace Proposal for Ukraine
12:54 GMT 22.06.2024 (Updated: 12:55 GMT 22.06.2024)
© Sputnik / Vladislav Vodnev / Pope Francis at the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions at the Palace of Independence in Nursultan. The main theme of the congress is "The role of leaders of world and traditional religions in the spiritual and social development of mankind in the post–pandemic period." More than 100 delegations from 50 countries of the world take part in the work of the VII Congress.
/ Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Pope Francis and Russian Ambassador to the Holy See Ivan Soltanovsky have discussed Russian President Vladimir Putin's peace proposal for Ukraine, as the Vatican recognizes the futility of any peace process without Russia's participation, the Russian embassy to the Vatican said on Saturday.
Earlier this month, Putin said that Russia would immediately cease fire and begin negotiations with Ukraine after Kiev withdraws troops from the territory of Russia's new regions and officially abandons plans to join NATO. However, Ukraine's Zelensky rejected the proposal, slamming it as an ultimatum.
"The Ukraine issue was discussed, including the conditions for a peace settlement voiced by Russian President Putin during a meeting with key officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Soltanovsky expressed his gratitude to the pontiff for his consistently balanced and invariably peaceful stance on the matter," the embassy told reporters.
Moscow is aware that Pope Francis is constantly searching for a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis, while at the same time understanding its complicated nature and the real reasons for this acute conflict, the Russian diplomatic mission added. Both the pontiff and the Russian diplomat praised the role of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the head of the Vatican peace mission on Ukraine, in "resolving a whole range of humanitarian issues," the embassy also said.
"The Vatican realizes the futility of the peace process without Russia's participation," it emphasized.
The embassy added that the Russian mission shares the Vatican's concerns about the steadily deteriorating situation in the world, and expressed its readiness to continue regular and confidential dialogue between Russia and the Holy See.
Pope Francis has on many occasions expressed readiness to travel to Russia and Ukraine to promote peace and assist efforts to end the ongoing conflict. In May 2023, the Vatican formed a peacekeeping mission on Ukraine, headed by Zuppi. In June, the cardinal traveled to both Ukraine and Russia, where he met with officials and discussed with them the Holy See's humanitarian efforts. Moscow welcomed Pope Francis' initiatives aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine, Soltanovsky told Sputnik in January.
