VATICAN CITY (RNS) – On Wednesday (July 9), Pope Leo XIV welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the pope’s summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, about an hour south of Rome, to discuss peacemaking efforts in Ukraine, which has been ravaged by war since Russia’s invasion of the country in February 2022.
“The Holy Father expressed his sorrow for the victims and renewed his prayers and closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging every effort aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions,” read a statement issued by the Vatican on Wednesday.
The statement said the “cordial” conversation, which lasted roughly 30 minutes, “discussed the ongoing conflict and the urgent need for a just and lasting peace.” It also stressed the importance of dialogue as a “preferred means” toward ending the conflict.
The meeting took place during a major escalation of the conflict. On May 25, Russia launched its largest drone and missile attack since the war began. The attacks continued Wednesday, when Russia fired more than 700 drones at strategic targets in Ukraine. Meanwhile, U.S. efforts to mediate peace appear to be cooling as no agreement has emerged on how to end the conflict.
Pope Leo also reiterated his willingness to welcome Russian and Ukrainian representatives to the Vatican to mediate a peace.
“Of course we want this war finished, and of course we are very (much) counting on the Vatican and His Holiness who can help us with a high-level meeting place to finish this war,” Zelenskyy said, speaking to Vatican journalists while exiting Villa Barberini, where the pope resides in Castel Gandolfo.
I’m grateful for the meeting and a very substantive conversation with @Pontifex. We value all the support and every prayer for peace in Ukraine.
The proposal to hold meetings at the level of leaders at the Vatican remains open and entirely possible, with the goal of stopping… pic.twitter.com/nHtWWl5AbL
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 9, 2025
Pope Leo XIV first offered to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine shortly after his first meeting with Zelenskyy at the Vatican following his inauguration Mass on May 18. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has supported the pope’s offer and also met with the Ukrainian leader.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the possibility of a meeting at the Vatican as “vulgar” during a conference in Moscow on May 23, stating that it would be inappropriate for a Catholic institution to host talks between two Orthodox countries.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy thanked the Vatican for helping to return Ukrainian prisoners and children who were displaced by the war. Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the head of the Italian bishops and an experienced negotiator, to lead the church’s effort to promote peace in Ukraine by reuniting families and helping with the exchange of prisoners.
In 2022, before becoming pope, Leo XIV condemned the war as a “true imperialist invasion, where Russia wants to conquer a territory for reasons of power,” and urged world leaders to boldly call out the human rights violations in Ukraine more clearly. Since becoming pope, Leo XIV has used more diplomatic tones on the conflict in his homilies and public addresses, urging leaders to negotiate a just and lasting peace.