Weeks after Pope Francis confused the Ukrainian government by talking about a secret peace missionPresident Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, part of a flash visit to Rome that included talks with the president and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, both of whom are in full support.
Mr. Zelensky’s discussions in Rome about war and peace come at a potentially pivotal time in the war against Russia, when Ukrainian forces improvement near the important eastern city of Bakhmut before a widely anticipated Ukrainian counterattack, and when Germany announced biggest military aid package to Ukraine since the war began, saying it would provide weapons worth 2.7 billion euros.
Italy added that momentum when Ms. Meloni, who warmly greeted Mr. Zelensky before the 70-minute meeting, affirmed her strong support for the Ukrainian war effort.
“We bet on Ukraine’s victory,” Meloni said as she appeared next to Zelensky, whom she called a “friend” during a news conference at Chigi Palace, the seat of the Italian government, after the meeting. “Our support will be at 360 degrees in every moment of need and beyond.”
She said Mr Zelensky’s decision to begin his most recent European sweep in Rome – he is scheduled to visit Germany on Sunday – shows Italy as a “protagonist” in assisting Ukraine, a “victim of a brutal and unjust invasion on the part of the Russian Republic.” She said Italy would continue to provide aid to Ukraine, “both militarily”.
Mr. Zelenskiy, who on twitter Having called the visit important to his country’s “coming victory”, he has repeatedly thanked Italy for its support.
But the focal point and subtlest stop of Mr. Zelensky’s trip to Rome came when his motorcade rattled through St Peter’s Square and he passed the Vatican entrance flanked by Swiss Guards. side and wearing his signature sweatshirt, shake hands with Francis before sitting across from his desk in a 40-minute meeting.
The pope has sought to establish himself as a potential peacemaker in a way that critics, including Ukrainian officials, say is counterproductive to the achievement of more than just war. victory of Ukraine, but also a real and just peace.
To maintain the traditional Vatican neutrality, Francis, while always expressing sympathy for the suffering of Ukrainians, often makes confusing and contradictory remarks about whether he is to blame. to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin about the invasion of Ukraine or not. After a recent meeting with Russian sympathizers in Hungary, the pope sought to thrust himself into the discussion of the end-of-war discussion, confusingly speaking about “an ongoing mission, but it has not been made public” to bring peace, adding “when it’s public, I’ll talk about it.”
Both Russia and Ukraine, countries largely Orthodox but not Roman Catholic, said they had no idea what the Pope was talking about. But the Vatican insists that a peace plan is in the works. It is unclear whether Mr Zelensky’s visit was part of that plan or the result of the Ukrainian leader’s attempt to explain directly why such talk could be detrimental.
“I demand condemnation of Russia’s crimes in Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a statement after meeting with Francis, who presented him with a bronze olive branch. “Because there can be no equality between victim and aggressor. I also talked about our Peace Formula as the only effective algorithm for achieving a just peace. I proposed to participate in its implementation.”
Later, when asked on Italian television if Francis, who had sought to secure an equal position between Ukraine and Russia, could be the peacemaker between him and Putin, Mr. said “with all due respect to the Holy Father,” Ukraine does not need reconciliation because “you cannot reconcile with Putin.” He says victory on the battlefield is essential, and will come, and sees no benefit in talking to Mr. Putin, who is clearly acting in bad faith. “What shall we say?”
The Vatican only said that the two men discussed the war and that Pope Francis assured Zelensky of his “unceasing prayer” for Ukraine and its most vulnerable, and both men agreed. on the need for continued humanitarian aid.
On Saturday, even before Zelensky’s arrival, Francis, who abhors the arms trade and who expressed deep concern about the suffering caused by the 15-month conflict, spoke about war has “brought untold suffering and death”. He added in a tweet a prayer for “paths of encounter and dialogue that lead to peace, and grant us the courage to walk on them without hesitation.”
Zelensky and Francis met in Rome during an official visit in 2020 before the war. But since the all-out invasion of Russia in February 2022, the pope has turned down numerous invitations from the Ukrainian government to meet Mr. Zelensky in Kiev.
Francis has stated that, hoping to eventually act as a negotiator, he wants any visit to Ukraine to be combined with a visit to Moscow, but Mr. such a visit.
Francis’ openness to dialogue, especially early in the war, has been criticized for assuming a neutrality that critics consider morally questionable in the face of conflict. obvious Russian aggression.
There is no such ambiguity from the Italian government.
Analysts expect Mr. Zelensky to ask for more support from the Italian military, especially with anti-aircraft weapons.
“Today we discussed our cooperation, especially on security and military cooperation,” said Zelensky. said at a press conference. “There are very important decisions regarding the protection of our skies.”
Ms. Meloni remains staunchly defending Kyiv, and she warns of widespread Russian “propaganda” efforts to distract from the fact that it has invaded Ukraine. She said that Ukraine’s independence was the only acceptable outcome, and that peace could not be achieved “with the surrender” of Kiev.
She called on the Russian army to withdraw and stop the aggression, which she described as “dangerous to the whole of Europe and all countries of the world.”
But Ms. Meloni, who appeared alongside Pope Francis on Friday at an event about Italy’s birth rate increase, must also manage her neighbor in the Vatican across the Tiber, saying she supports the pope’s efforts, adding, “we are very pleased with this initiative.”
Mr. Zelensky, who thanked “Giorgia” for Italy’s role in protecting Ukraine and accepting so many refugees.
But as Mr. Zelensky sought to bolster concrete support with bullets, missiles and other weapons to defend his country, he also sought to win favor with the pope. Although the pope is not divided, as Stalin famously noted, he exercises the moral authority that Mr. Zelensky wants to be more explicit on his side.
Ukraine supporters worry that the pope’s eagerness to play a constructive role is making him a pawn of Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church, which has sought to give religious legitimacy to the invasion. comb.
Adding to Ukraine’s concern are the Holy Father’s kind words for Aleksandr Avdeyev, Russia’s ambassador to the Holy See for many years, whom he has praised in the past. On the return flight from Budapest, he called Mr Avdeyev “a great man, a serious man, cultured and balanced.”
On Saturday, the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero reported that Francis met Mr. Avdeyev last week and may have given him a letter to return to Mr. Putin. That close relationship upset the Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurashwho recently met top Vatican officials to express Kyiv’s concern that the Russian Orthodox Church is trying to gain “legitimacy” through its relationship with the Vatican for “the express purpose of Russian propaganda”.
The Vatican has actively tried to engage with both sides, working on the release of prisoners and promising Ukrainians that it will do what it can to help return the children taken by Russia.
In May 2022, Francis wondered in an interview with Corriere della Sera, an Italian newspaper, whether “NATO barking at the door of the Russian state” might have “facilitating” anger from the Palace Kremlin lead to invasion or not.
On Saturday, Ms. Meloni, at least, made it clear that the Italian government blamed Russia entirely and that the only acceptable peace was one that met Ukraine’s conditions.
“We’re not hypocritical to the point of calling peace, anything ‘like an invasion’,” she said.
