The possibility of the Holy See serving as the host for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine is gaining traction. It's a venue that Ukrainian President Zelensky is seriously considering, especially after the failed Istanbul meeting on May 16th.
Zelensky is seeking a new high-level summit—one that, besides involving Russia and Ukraine, would include the United States and key European leaders.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, President of Ukraine
The meeting could be held in Turkey, the Vatican, or Switzerland. We’re currently considering these three locations and countries. All three are good. I don’t want to talk about which is most comfortable, because it’s not about comfort—it’s about who can organize the meeting and deliver a concrete outcome.
Meanwhile, Trump has been conducting multilateral talks. On May 19th, he reportedly spoke for nearly two hours with Putin and also contacted Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s chancellor, and Finland’s president.
His message on social media raised eyebrows:
The Vatican, represented by the Pope, has expressed strong interest in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!
And this is where Giorgia Meloni comes in. President Trump called her and asked if she could verify the Holy See’s willingness to host the negotiations.
On May 20th, she called Pope Leo XIV, who, according to Meloni, expressed his readiness to host the dialogue at the Vatican.
But there’s still no green light from Russia. According to the Kremlin spokesperson, no agreements are in place to hold negotiations on Ukraine at the Vatican. And a foreign minister from Russia has said that, for the moment, he considers it an unrealistic option.
These are statements from the various politicians involved, but what has the Vatican officially said? Is there any confirmation? Has diplomacy already begun?
Pope Leo XIV did indeed offer the Holy See as a venue for reconciliation, on May 14, during an audience with Eastern Churches. However, his comments were general and did not explicitly refer to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
POPE LEO XIV
The Holy See is available so that enemies may meet and look each other in the eye, so that peoples may recover their hope and the dignity they deserve—the dignity of peace. People want peace, and with all my heart I say to the leaders of nations: let us meet, let us dialogue, let us negotiate.
Following this, two key meetings took place. On May 18th, Pope Leo held a private audience with President Zelensky (after a phone call earlier). However, the Vatican disclosed no details regarding the meeting between the two leaders.
On May 19th, he met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Vatican issued a customary, non-specific statement with no mention of mediation or peace talks.
As for official Vatican diplomacy, the Secretary of State has remained characteristically discreet. The only comment from Cardinal Pietro Parolin was that it was “likely” that Pope Leo would offer the Vatican for direct diplomatic talks between the two countris. In summary, the Vatican remains a symbolic and neutral ground, but whether it becomes the actual stage for peace talks depends heavily on whether both Moscow and Kyiv are willing to meet under its dome.
CA
Trans. CRT
