On May 12, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi for the first time spent a conversation with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.
Zelensky described the conversation as warm and objective, thanked the Pope for his support of Ukraine, his calls for a just and lasting peace, as well as for his attention to the topic of the release of prisoners. Separately, the parties discussed the problem of the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. The President emphasized that Ukraine is counting on the help of the Vatican in returning the children home.
Zelenskyi also informed the pontiff about the planned complete and unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days from May 12. He confirmed the readiness of the Ukrainian side to continue the negotiation process in any format with the aim of ending the war, expressing hope for a mirror position on the part of the Russian Federation.
“I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope for all believers, for all our people. We agreed to maintain contact and plan a personal meeting in the near future.” – noted Zelensky.
We will remind that on May 7, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church started a conclave to elect a new Pope. The first vote was unsuccessful, but the very next evening, white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel. The new Pope was Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who chose the name Leo XIV. He became the first pontiff from the United States of America in history.
