ROME, May 13 (Reuters) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Pope Francis on Saturday to back the Kiev peace plan, and the Holy Father indicated the Vatican would assist in the repatriation of Ukrainian children brought to Russia. .
“It’s a great honor,” Zelensky told Francis, placing his hand on his heart and bowing his head as he greeted the 86-year-old pope, who stood with a cane.
Earlier on Saturday, Zelensky met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who pledged full military and financial support to Ukraine and reiterated her support for its EU membership bid.
Zelenski, who was visiting Rome for the first time since the start of the war, spoke to the Supreme Pontiff for 40 minutes and gave him a bulletproof vest that had been worn by a Ukrainian soldier and later painted with an image of the Virgin.
According to a Vatican statement, in their private conversations, Zelensky and the pope spoke of “humanitarian gestures,” which a Vatican source said was a reference to the Vatican’s willingness to assist in the repatriation of Ukrainian children.
kyiv estimates that about 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since February 2022, in what it condemns as illegal deportations.
“We must do everything possible to return them home,” Zelensky said in a tweet afterwards, noting that he had discussed it with the pope.
Zelensky also said he had asked Francis to “join” kyiv’s 10-point peace plan.
It calls for the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the withdrawal of Russian troops and the cessation of hostilities, as well as the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders. Zelensky has repeatedly said that the plan is not open for negotiation.
At the start of the war, the Pope tried to take a balanced approach in the hope of being a mediator, but later began to strongly condemn Russia’s actions, comparing them to some of the worst crimes against Ukraine during the Soviet era.
“I asked (the Pope) to condemn Russian crimes in Ukraine.
Because there can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor,” Zelenski said in his tweet.
Returning from a trip to Hungary on April 30, Francis made an intriguing comment about the Vatican’s involvement in a mission to try to end the war. “There is a mission in progress, but it has not been made public yet. When it is made public, I will reveal it,” he told reporters during his flight home.
However, the Vatican statement made no mention of such a mission and, later, in an interview on Italian television, Zelensky appeared to rule out mediation outside of Kiev’s own peace plan. “Putin only kills. We don’t need mediation with him,” he said.
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Appeals for peace.
Francis has advocated for peace virtually every week, and has repeatedly expressed his desire to act as a mediator between kyiv and Moscow by visiting both capitals. So far, his offer has not yielded any results.
Earlier, both Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella reiterated Italy’s full support for Ukraine in terms of short- and long-term military, financial, humanitarian and reconstruction aid.
At a press conference, Meloni condemned Russia’s “brutal and unfair aggression”, vowed Italy’s support for Ukraine for “as long as it takes” and urged Russia to withdraw immediately.
“Peace cannot be achieved through surrender,” he said.
“It would be a very serious precedent for all the nations of the world.”
He stressed Italy’s support for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and the “intensification” of a partnership with NATO.
Zelensky flew to Rome on an Italian government plane that was escorted by fighter jets over Italian airspace.
He is due to visit Berlin on Sunday, German government sources told Reuters on Saturday.
Reuters-NA
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NA 05-13-23 15:52:50
Source: Ambito
