Zelenskyy on meeting with Pope: proposal for leaders to meet in Vatican to end war remains open and possible

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after meeting with Pope Leo XIV, said that the proposal for leaders to meet in Vatican to end russia's war in Ukraine remains open and possible. Zelenskyy announced this on the Telegram channel, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"I am grateful for the meeting and very thorough conversation with Pope Leo XIV. We appreciate all the support and every prayer for peace in Ukraine. The proposal for meetings at the level of leaders in Vatican to stop russian aggression and achieve stable, lasting and genuine peace remains open and absolutely possible. Currently, only Moscow rejects this proposal, as well as all other peace proposals," he said.

Zelenskyy noted that it is necessary to continue to increase global solidarity so that diplomacy can work.

He thanked the Pope especially for his support for Ukrainian children, in particular those returned from russian captivity, and they discussed further Vatican efforts to return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

Zelenskyy invited the Pope to visit Ukraine.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican on July 9. Later that day, he will meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, and then take part in the Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine, which will be held in the Italian capital on July 10-11.