Pope to hold Russia-Ukraine peace talks? Vatican announces as Zelensky meets him amid Russia's biggest attack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday (July 9) met Pope Leo XIV at the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo near Rome. As the two met amid ongoing Russian attacks, Pope offered to hold negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Vatican. The two discussed the ongoing conflict and the urgent need for a just and lasting peace.

“During the cordial conversation, the importance of dialogue as the preferred means of ending hostilities was reaffirmed," the Vatican said in a statement.

"The Holy Father expressed his sorrow for the victims and renewed his prayers and closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging every effort aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions," the statement added.

It added that the Pope reiterated his willingness to welcome representatives of Russia and Ukraine to the Vatican for negotiations.

Russia rejected the offer

Earlier, Russia had rejected the offer from the Pope. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that it would not be appropriate for two Orthodox Christian countries to hold talks there.

The Ukrainian president is currently on a visit to Rome, to attend the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will be held on Thursday and Friday.

Zelensky, while speaking to reporters after meeting Pope, said that he thanked him for his efforts to help reunite children taken by Russia after the war began in 2022.

Leo has been criticising Russia's war on Ukraine, calling it a "senseless war". “It is not easy to find words of consolation for the families who have lost loved ones in this senseless war,” he told the bishops who visited last week.

Major attack on Ukraine

Earlier this morning, Zelensky said that Russia attempted to strike 741 targets with 728 drones and 13 missiles. Zelensky said that the attack comes precisely at a time when efforts are being made to achieve peace in the region and establish a ceasefire, adding that Russia continues "to rebuff them all."

He added that Russia’s continuing aggression is “yet another proof of the need for sanctions–biting sanctions against oil, which has been fueling Moscow’s war machine with money for over three years of the war.