Ukraine invites the Pope to bring hope with a potential visit

• The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, invited Pope Leo XIV to make a visit to Ukraine.
• The phone conversation focused on peace and the fate of children deported by Russia.
• Zelensky thanked the pope for his support and discussed a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Ukraine. He did so during a phone conversation with the new leader of the Catholic Church.

I spoke with Pope Leo XIV. It was our first conversation, but already a very warm and truly substantive one. (…) I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people – conveyed Zelensky.

Zelensky emphasized that the pope's visit would bring hope to all believers in Ukraine. The President expressed his gratitude for the pope’s support for Ukraine and its citizens, highlighting the importance of achieving a just and lasting peace.

During the conversation, Zelensky informed the pope about the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Ukraine seeks to end the war and expects appropriate steps from Russia. The President of Ukraine noted that they will remain in contact and plan a personal meeting in the future.

Ukraine wants to end this war and is doing everything to achieve that. We now await similar steps from Russia. (…) We agreed to stay in contact and plan in-person meeting in the near future – stated the President of Ukraine.

On Saturday, the leaders of Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom called on Russia to accept the ceasefire, threatening sanctions on the Russian energy and banking sectors. The ceasefire proposal was also supported by U.S. President Donald Trump.