By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday that the Vatican is willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the Vatican said in a statement.
The pope, meeting the Ukrainian leader for the second time in his two-month-old papacy, also discussed with Zelenskiy “the urgent need for a just and lasting peace,” the statement said.
Zelenskiy and Leo held talks in Castel Gandolfo, a small Italian hill town not far from Rome, where the pope is taking a two-week vacation.
The Ukrainian leader is in Italy to attend a conference on July 10-11 dedicated to Ukraine’s recovery and long-term reconstruction following Russia’s invasion.
The Vatican did not say how long the meeting between Leo and Zelenskiy lasted. It released video showing Leo, the first U.S. pontiff, asking Zelenskiy “How are things going?” in English as the two sat in a large room together.
Leo, who has made appealing for peace in world conflicts a major theme of his young papacy, previously met with Zelenskiy at the Vatican on May 18.
The pope also held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4, during which the Vatican said Leo had asked Putin to take concrete steps to end Russia’s bloody three-year war on Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested in May that Leo had offered to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks, but the pope had not previously spoken about the possibility of such a summit.
Russian officials had previously told Reuters that they do not see the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because the Holy See is surrounded by NATO member Italy, which has supported Ukraine and taken part in EU sanctions against Russia.
(Reporting by Joshua McElweeEditing by Giulia Segreti, Alvise Armellini and Peter Graff)
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