Vatican’s foreign minister discusses Ukraine with Russia’s Lavrov

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican’s Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher held a phone call on Friday with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss the war in Ukraine, the Vatican said.

The two officials discussed the overall situation of the three-year conflict and “some initiatives aimed at stopping the military actions,” a Vatican statement said.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a limited truce last month against launching attacks against the other side’s energy facilities. Both have accused each other of violating the agreement, which was brokered by the US.

During the call, Gallagher also expressed the Vatican’s willingness “to continue its humanitarian effort in matters regarding the exchange of prisoners,” the statement added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Pope Francis at the Vatican last October and asked for the pontiff’s help in securing the release of Ukrainians held captive by Russia.

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Lavrov met the Vatican’s number two official, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session in New York.

The Russian official said those discussions had focused on the “reasons for the geopolitical crisis, a direct consequence of the consistent anti-Russian policies of Western countries”.

Francis, currently out of public view as he recovers from double pneumonia, drew the ire of Ukrainian officials in March 2024 when he suggested they should have the courage of the “white flag” to negotiate an end to the war.