Zelensky met with the envoy of the Vatican to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that he met in Kyiv with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Pope’s special envoy to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict. They discussed the peace plan proposed by the President of Ukraine. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine welcomes mediation to resolve the conflict, but the algorithm for achieving peace can only be Ukrainian.

“I met with the special representative of Pope Francis, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi. I call on the Holy See to contribute to the implementation of the Ukrainian peace plan. Ukraine welcomes the willingness of other states and partners to search for ways to peace, but since it is on our territory, the algorithm for achieving peace can only be Ukrainian,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in Telegram.

On May 13, Volodymyr Zelensky personally met with the Pope: they also discussed Ukraine’s peace plan for a settlement. The plan was presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in November 2022. It implies the return of territories within the 1991 borders to Ukraine and the payment of reparations from Russia. The Kremlin called this plan a refusal to negotiate.

After a visit to Kyiv, Matteo Zuppi must return to the Vatican for a consultation with the Pope, and then go to Moscow. Matteo Zuppi was a negotiator during the Mozambican Civil War (1977-1992). Negotiations were conducted for 27 months, they ended with the signing of peace agreements.

For more information about the mediation of the Vatican in the conflict, see the material “The conflict in Ukraine was radically tackled.”

Anastasia Larina