Zelensky invites Pope Leo XIV for peace talks in Ukraine

• The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit Ukraine.
• The phone conversation was centred on peace and the plight of children deported by Russia.
• Zelensky expressed thanks to the pope for his support and proposed a 30-day ceasefire.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Ukraine 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 emphasised that the pope's visit would instil hope in all believers in Ukraine. The President expressed his gratitude for the Pope’s support for Ukraine and its citizens, stressing the importance of achieving a just and lasting peace.

During the conversation, Zelensky informed the pope about a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Ukraine aims to end the war and expects corresponding actions from Russia. The President of Ukraine highlighted that they will keep in touch and plan a personal meeting in 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 also received support from U.S. President Donald Trump.