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Weeks after Pope Francis confused the Ukrainian government with talk of a secret peace mission, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, part of a whirlwind visit to Rome that included talks with the Italian president and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, both who gave me full support.
Mr Zelensky’s discussions in Rome on war and peace come at a crucial time in the war against Russia, as Ukrainian forces advance near the key eastern city of Bakhmut ahead of an anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive, and as Germany announces its biggest military aid yet. package for Ukraine since the war began, said it will provide 2.7 billion euros of weapons.
Italy added to the momentum, with Ms. Meloni, who greeted Mr Zelensky before the 70-minute meeting, stressed his strong support for Ukraine’s war effort.
“We bet on the victory of Ukraine,” said Ms. Meloni, seen next to Mr Zelensky, whom he called his “friend” at a news conference at the Chigi Palace, the seat of the Italian government, after the meeting. “Our support will be 360 degrees for all the time you need, and beyond.”
He said that Mr. Zelensky’s decision to start his latest sweep of Europe in Rome – he will visit Germany on Sunday – showed that Italy is a “protagonist” in support of Ukraine, “a victim of brutal and unjust aggression. part of the Russian Republic.” He said Italy would continue to provide aid to Ukraine, “also militarily.”
Mr. Zelensky, that on Twitter has been called an important visit to the country which is “close to victory”, thanks Italy repeatedly for its help.
But most importantly, and the most difficult stop, Mr. Zelensky’s trip to Rome came as his motorcade roared through St. Peter’s Square. Peter and he walked through the gates of the Vatican flanked by Swiss Guards and, wearing their trademark T-shirts, Francis shook hands before sitting down at the table for a 40-minute meeting.
The Pope has sought to position himself as a potential peacemaker in a way that critics, including Ukrainian officials, argue counterproductive to the achievement not only of the victory of Ukraine, but also of a real and just peace.
To preserve the Vatican’s traditional neutrality, Francis, while constantly expressing sympathy for the Ukrainian plight, has often confused and disputed comments about whether he blames Russian President Vladimir V. Putin for the invasion of Ukraine. After recently meeting with Russian sympathizers in Hungary, the pope has sought to discuss the end of the war, mysteriously talking about the “present, but not yet public mission” to bring peace, adding “when it is finished. public I will talk about it.
Both Russia and Ukraine, overwhelmingly Orthodox, and not Roman Catholic, countries, said they had no idea what the Pope was saying. But the Vatican insists that peace plans are in place. It is not clear if Mr. Zelensky’s visit was part of the plan, or the result of the Ukrainian leader’s efforts to explain in private, why such talk could be so damaging.
“I ask to condemn Russia’s crimes in Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said in a statement after a meeting with Francis, who offered a bronze olive branch. “Because there is no equality between victims and attackers. I also talk about the Peace Formula as the only effective algorithm to achieve a just peace. I propose to join the implementation.
After being asked on Italian television whether Francis, who has sought an equal position between Ukraine and Russia, could broker peace between him and Mr. Putin, Mr. Zelensky said “with respect to His Holiness,” Ukraine does not need it. mediator because “you can’t mediate with Putin.” He said that victory on the battlefield was important, and that it was coming, and that there was no point in talking to Mr. Putin, who was clearly acting in bad faith. “What are we going to talk about?”
The Vatican said only that the two men discussed the war and Francis assured Mr Zelensky of “constant support” for Ukraine and its most vulnerable, and that the two agreed on the need for continued humanitarian aid.
On Saturday, even before Mr Zelensky’s arrival, Francis, who dislikes the arms trade and expressed deep concern about the suffering caused by the 15-month conflict, said the war had “brought untold suffering and death.” He added in a tweet prayer for “paths of meeting and dialogue that lead to peace, and give them the courage to tread them without hesitation.”
Mr Zelensky and Francis met in Rome for an official visit in 2020 before the war. But since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the pope has declined multiple invitations from the Ukrainian government to meet with Mr. Zelensky in Kyiv.
Francis has stated, in the hope of finally playing the role of negotiator, he wanted any visit to Ukraine together with a visit to Moscow, but Mr. Putin has repeatedly explained that he does not want such a visit.
Francis’s openness to dialogue has also, especially at the start of the war, drawn criticism for assuming neutrality that critics say is morally questionable in the face of apparent Russian aggression.
There is no ambiguity from the Italian government.
Analysts expect Mr Zelensky to ask for more Italian military support, particularly for anti-aircraft weapons.
“Today we discussed cooperation, especially security and military cooperation,” Mr Zelensky said at a press conference. “There are important decisions to be made about protecting our skies.”
Mrs. Meloni remained staunch in his defense of Kyiv and he warned of widespread “propaganda” efforts by Russia to distract from the fact that it had invaded Ukraine. He said Ukraine’s independence was the only acceptable outcome, and that peace could not be achieved “by surrender” by Kyiv.
He called for the withdrawal of Russian forces and an end to the aggression, which he described as “dangerous for all of Europe and all countries of the world.”
But Ms. Meloni, who appeared next to Pope Francis on Friday at an event about improving Italy’s fertility rate, also has to manage the Vatican’s neighbor across the Tiber River, saying he supports the pope’s efforts, adding, “we are very happy for this initiative.
Mr. Zelensky thanked Meloni for Italy’s role in defending Ukraine and accepting many refugees.
But while Mr. Zelensky seeks to support the concrete support of bullets, missiles and other weapons for the defense of his country, he also seeks to win over the pope. Although the pope has no division, as Stalin has pointed out, he still exercises the moral authority that Mr. Zelensky wants more clearly.
Supporters of Ukraine worry that the Pope’s eagerness to play a constructive role has become a pawn of Mr. Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church, which has tried to give religious legitimacy to the invasion.
Adding to the concerns of the Ukrainians are the good words of the pope for Aleksandr Avdeyev, for years the Russian ambassador to the Holy See, who has been praised in the past. On the flight back from Budapest he called Mr. Avdeyev “a great man, a comme il faut man, a serious man, cultured and balanced.”
On Saturday, the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero reported that Francis had met last week with Mr Avdeyev and may have given him a letter to return to Mr Putin. The close ties have troubled Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, who recently met with top Vatican officials to express Kyiv’s concern that the Russian Orthodox Church is trying to gain “legitimacy” through its ties to the Vatican for the “clear purpose of Russian propaganda.” .”
The Vatican has actively tried to engage with both sides, working on the release of prisoners and promising Ukrainians that they will do what they can to return children taken by Russia.
In May 2022, Francis wondered in an interview with Corriere della Sera, an Italian newspaper, whether “NATO barking at Russia’s door” could “facilitate” the anger of the Kremlin that led to the invasion.
On Saturday, Ms. Meloni, at least, stated that the Italian government sees that the responsibility lies with Russia, and that the only acceptable peace is the one that meets the situation in Ukraine.
“We are not hypocrites to call peace,” he said, anything that “looks like an invasion.”
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