The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, informed the Pope of the Russiansʼ plans to end the war in Ukraine by May 9.
Francis spoke about this in an interview Corriere della Sera.
"Orban, when I met with him, told me that the Russians have a plan that everything will end on May 9. I hope this is so that we also understand the rate of escalation these days. Because now itʼs not just Donbas, itʼs Crimea, itʼs Odesa, itʼs taking away the Black Sea port from Ukraine, thatʼs all. I am pessimistic, but we must do everything possible to stop the war," Francis said.
The Pope also said that he had asked to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to try to stop the war in Ukraine. He said about three weeks after the conflict began, he asked a senior Vatican diplomat to send a message to Putin but received no response.
"I am afraid that Putin cannot and does not want to have this meeting at this time. But how not to stop such cruelty?" said the Pope.
Answering a question about a trip to Kyiv that Francis said last month, the pontiff said he would not go yet.
"First, I have to go to Moscow, first I have to meet with Putin... I do what I can. If only Putin had opened the door," he said.
- Pope Francis also appealed to the Russian authorities three times to organize a humanitarian corridor for civilians from Mariupol.
- On May 2, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Alexei Danilov said that Russian President Putin had warned Hungary about an attack on Ukraine.