Pope Leo confirmed to Giorgia Meloni his willingness to host in the Vatican the next round of negotiations to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Italian prime minister said on Tuesday. “Finding in the Holy Father confirmation of the readiness to host the next talks between the parties in the Vatican, the prime minister expressed deep gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his unceasing commitment to peace,” said a statement from Meloni. Leo, elected two weeks ago, said on 14 May that the Vatican could act as a mediator in global conflicts, without specifically mentioning Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Separately the Italian prime minister said she had talks with other European leaders and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over next steps.
“It was agreed to maintain close coordination between the partners with a view to a new round of negotiations aimed at a ceasefire and a peace agreement in Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy accused Russia of “trying to buy time” to continue the war, a day after the US president, Donald Trump, discussed the war with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Their two-hour phone call, as Peter Beaumont and Pjotr Sauer write, failed to deliver any meaningful concessions from Moscow. The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, also accused Vladimir Putin of “playing for time” and not really being interested in peace in Ukraine.