The American broadcaster CNN reports, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official, that Kyiv knows nothing about the “peace initiative” of Pope Francis, which he told reporters about on Sunday during a flight from Budapest to Rome.
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In an interview with Reuters, Pope Francis said that the Vatican is taking part in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, and is also ready to participate in the return home of children forcibly taken to Russia from the occupied territories. The pontiff called the mission a “mystery”.
An official close to the Ukrainian president’s office denied any role for the Vatican in the mission to end the war in Ukraine.
President Zelensky did not agree to any discussions on behalf of Ukraine. If negotiations are underway, then without our knowledge and agreement,” he said.
Earlier, Francis told reporters that the Vatican is taking part in covert attempts to bring about peace in Ukraine.
In Budapest, he held talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is the only EU leader to maintain ties to Moscow. Prior to this, the pontiff met in the Vatican with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmihal.
You can imagine that during these meetings we didn’t just talk about Little Red Riding Hood. We discussed it all,” Francis said. Everyone is interested in the path to peace. The mission is currently ongoing, but it is not yet public. I’ll tell you everything when it becomes public.
Pope Francis has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine and called it a martyr country. However, some criticize him for never directly and unequivocally condemning Russia for invading, killing tens of thousands of people and destroying a neighboring country.
Source: Racurs
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