The new Pope wants to host the Russian-Ukraine Peace Negotiation, after the failure of the Turkish discussions. “We are again at the starting point”

Pope Leon XIV wants to host peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican, after the discussions on Friday, May 16, from Istanbul, who resulted with little progress apart from an agreement for an exchange of prisoners.

The initiative comes in the context in which Russian President Vladimir Putin did not participate in the discussions organized in Turkey, negotiations he had proposed, according to Politico.

“It is a tragedy, because we put our hope in a process perhaps slowly, but leading to a peaceful solution of the conflict. And, instead, we are again at the starting point,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State and the main diplomat of the Holy See, on Friday, in the margin of an event organized in Rome.

According to ANSA news agency, Parolin confirmed that “the Pope intends to make available the Vatican, the Holy See, for a direct meeting between the two parties.”

Pope Leon XIV, chosen a week ago, said that the settlement of the Ukraine war will be one of the priorities of its pontificate.

On Sunday, the Sovereign Pontiff spoke on the phone with the Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski and mentioned “the suffering of the Ukrainian people, so beloved”, in his first blessing on Sunday, spoken in Saint Peter Square.

On Wednesday, in an audience with representatives of the Eastern Churches, the Pope launched a direct call to the leaders of the two states in conflict: “The holy chair is always ready to bring those in conflict … Let's meet, talk,” said Leon XIV. “Those who do history are the makers of peace.”

In his first post on the X platform, on Thursday, Pope Leon resumed the appeal to the cessation of the war: “I would like this hatred of peace in your hearts, in your families and among all people, wherever they are, in every nation and throughout the world.”

His predecessor, Pope Francis, sent emissaries to both Ukraine and Russia and facilitated the meeting of Ukrainian children with their families, as well as exchanges of prisoners of war. Although he publicly supported the cause of Ukraine, Pope Francis suggested, in the first months of the conflict, that NATO expansion has contributed to its escalation.

Cardinal Parolin also said that the Vatican is working on the possibility of a meeting between Pope Leon and the US Vice -President JD Vance, on the occasion of the official inauguration of the pontificate, scheduled for Sunday. Before his choice as a pope, a social media account that bears his name repeatedly criticized the Trump administration – and JD Vance in particular – for strict immigration policies.

Asked about a possible meeting between Pope and Vance, Parolin said: “I do not know, the problem is that there are many delegations; time is extremely limited, so they will meet only if it is possible. The protocol deals with it.”

Kiev and European leaders accuse Moscow of coming up with “unacceptable” requests in Istanbul

A source of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration told The Kyiv Independent that the Russian delegation insisted on a Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donetk, Lugansk, Zaporojie and Herson regions, which the Kremlin declared annexed in 2022, but which it does not control.

“Ukraine is ready to take the most fast steps for real peace and it is important for the world to adopt firm positions,” Volodimir Zelenski later said.

“If the Russians refuse a complete and unconditional cessation of fire and killings, there must be strong sanctions. The pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,” added the Ukrainian president.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Russia's position in negotiations remains clearly unacceptable, noting that this is not the first time this happens.

“I just had a meeting with President Zelenski and then a phone call with President Trump to discuss today's negotiations,” said British Prime Minister, quoted by Sky News.

“Therefore, as a result of that meeting with President Zelenski and that call with President Trump, we are now closely aligned and we will continue to do so,” added Starmer.