Pope Leo called on Russia to take steps towards ending the conflict in Ukraine, in his first conversation with President Vladimir Putin, the Vatican said on Wednesday.
"The Pope appealed to Russia to make a gesture conducive to peace, stressing the importance of dialogue to achieve positive contacts between the parties and seek a solution to the conflict," the Vatican said in a statement.
This confirmed that Leo, the first American pope, spoke by phone with Putin on Wednesday afternoon. Releasing a statement about a pope's phone calls is unusual for the Vatican, which does not usually do so.
"They discussed the humanitarian situation, the need to facilitate aid where needed, the ongoing efforts to exchange prisoners and the importance of the actions taken by Cardinal (Matteo) Zuppi in this regard," the Vatican added.
Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna, was the Vatican's peace envoy for Ukraine.
Putin thanked Lavrov for his offer to help resolve the conflict, but also stressed that Ukraine intends to "escalate" the war, the Kremlin said.
US President Donald Trump previously said the Pope had offered to host talks between Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other officials have said the Vatican is not an appropriate venue for peace talks between the two predominantly Orthodox countries.
Putin pointed out "that the Kiev regime is counting on the escalation of the conflict and is carrying out sabotage against civilian infrastructure on Russian territory," the statement said, adding that it was terrorism.
The Kremlin reiterated that the "root causes" of the conflict must be addressed, alluding to Russian demands that Ukraine adopt neutral status and that NATO rule out eastward expansion.
The Vatican statement thanked Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill for his congratulations when Leo was elected.
Pope Francis criticized Kirill's support for Putin.
Photo: EPA/ANGELO CARCONI
