The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Pope Francis in the Vatican on May 13.
This was reported to Reuters by diplomatic sources.
A source in Italy confirmed that Zelensky may be in Rome at the weekend. There he can also meet with the Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni.
The news about the planned visit was first reported by the Italian news agency Ansa. It is expected that Zelensky will also visit Germany on May 13-14.
Last month, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal already met with the Pope. It was about the "peace formula" proposed by Zelensky. Shmyhal invited the pontiff to visit Kyiv.
The planned meeting between Francisk and Zelensky was not officially announced. It was also not commented on in Kyiv.
- Since February 24, 2022, the Pope has called for peace almost every week and has repeatedly stated that he wants to act as a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow, as well as that he wants to visit Ukraine and Russia on a peacekeeping mission.
- On May 1, 2023, Francis told reporters after a three-day visit to Hungary that the Vatican was participating in a secret peacekeeping mission to try "to put an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine."