Zelenskyy discusses "formula for peace" with Pope and calls on Vatican to condemn Russia's crimes in Ukraine. Photos and videos

On Saturday, May 13, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the Vatican as part of a short visit to Italy. The Head of State has already met with Pope Francis.

This was reported by France 24. This is the first personal meeting between Zelenskyy and the Pope since the start of the war.

The President of Ukraine noted that during the meeting with Pope Francis, the main focus was on ending Russian military aggression and restoring peace.

He added that he was grateful to the Pope for his personal attention to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians.

During the talks with the pontiff, he stressed that Russia had deported tens of thousands of children.

"We must make every effort to bring them home. In addition, he asked to condemn Russian crimes in Ukraine. Because there can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor," Zelenskyy said.

He also added that he had told Francis about the Ukrainian peace formula as the only effective algorithm for achieving a just peace, and offered to join its implementation.

In particular, Zelenskyy asked the pontiff to fully contribute to the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula, in particular in the areas of food security, the release of prisoners and deportees, and the restoration of justice.

"Since the war is taking place on the territory of Ukraine, the peace plan can only be Ukrainian," he added.

Earlier, Pope Francis said that the Vatican is involved in a peacekeeping mission aimed at resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The head of the Catholic Church expressed hope that he could mediate between the parties.

Back in March, the pontiff declared his readiness for dialogue with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. He said that in the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he had asked for a meeting with the president of the aggressor country, but was refused. The Pope said that Putin is an educated man, and called Russia's war against Ukraine a global war, and claimed that it was allegedly fuelled by the imperial interests of not only the aggressor country but also other states.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL:

- the Vatican said that Pope Francis' peacekeeping mission will take place in any case and should put an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine. A Vatican spokesman was surprised that Kyiv and Moscow denied knowing about the mission;

- On May 5, Pope Francis met with senior Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Metropolitan Anthony. This came days after the pontiff made an intriguing but cryptic comment that the Vatican was involved in a mission to end the war in Ukraine.

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