In significant developments in the midst of an ongoing international effort to end the protracted Russian-Ukraine conflict, Pope Leo XIV has offered to host a peaceful negotiation between the two countries in the Vatican.
This movement has drawn extensive approval from Western power, including the United States and the main European countries.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed on Monday that the offer was warmly received during a recent high-level call between US President Donald Trump, European leaders, and himself, following the private conversation of President Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The availability of the Holy Father to welcome the conversation in the Vatican is tried positively,” Meloni said in a statement issued after diplomatic consultation.
The Russian-Ukraine War, which began in February 2022, with a massive Russian invasion of Ukraine, has produced one of the most destroyed military conflicts in European land since World War II. Initially justified by Kremlin as a “special military operation” which aims to demonstrate and “Denazifying” Ukraine, war quickly evolved into a full humanitarian and geopolitical crisis.
Tens of thousands have died, millions of people have been displaced, and the whole city of Ukraine has been reduced to debris. This invasion attracted the quick criticism of Western countries, encouraging massive sanctions to Russia and military and financial assistance that extended to Ukraine.
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While the initial peace talks collapsed in 2022, both parties had been locked in the grinding deadlock – Ukraine was determined to regain their occupation and Russia who did not want to resign from strategic areas, especially in Donbas and East Crimea.
Over the past year, global leaders have intensified the call for a ceasefire and returned to diplomatic dialogue.
The Vatican historically serves as a neutral foundation for peace development, given its unique status as a religious and diplomatic entity without geopolitical interests. Analysts believe that Pope’s involvement can offer moral framework that is needed for negotiations that are often hampered by hardline political agenda.
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