Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on a visit to the Vatican where he met with Pope Francis and Italian political leaders in Rome, has called on the pontiff to more clearly condemn Russia.
“I’m grateful for his personal attention to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter after the meeting with Francis in the Vatican, which lasted some 40 minutes. “I spoke about tens of thousands of deported children.”
“In addition, I asked [Pope Francis] to condemn Russian crimes in Ukraine. Because there can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor.”
Francis has repeatedly drawn criticism from the Ukrainian side since the Russian invasion last year as he has tried to avoid directly addressing or condemning the warring parties.
In an interview with Italian television channel Rai 1, Zelensky responded negatively when asked about the possibility of Francis mediating between Kiev and Moscow.
“With all due respect to the pope, the thing is that we don’t need mediators between Ukraine and the aggressor who has occupied our territories, but an action plan for a just peace in Ukraine,” he said.
Zelensky nevertheless told Francis that meeting him was a “great honour.”
The Ukrainian president also met Italian political leaders during his visit to Rome on Saturday, which is part of a weekend trip abroad that will also take him to Germany.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pledged support to Ukraine in its war against Russia “for as long as necessary and beyond,” as she met the Ukrainian leader, whom she referred to as her “friend.”
Kiev must be placed in a strong position for negotiations with Russia “because peace cannot follow capitulation, that would be a dangerous peace for Europe,” Meloni said.
Zelensky thanked Italy for its support. He said he was moved by the many Ukrainian flags he saw on the streets of Rome.
After his morning arrival in Rome on an Italian government plane from Poland, Zelensky was first driven to the Quirinal Palace, President Sergio Mattarella’s official residence.
After the anthems of the two states were played, the politicians went into the building for a private conversation.
The trip to Italy is an “important visit for [the] approaching victory of Ukraine!” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
It was earlier confirmed for the first time that Zelensky would travel on to Germany, although it was unclear when exactly he would make the journey.
On Saturday night, Italian news agency ANSA cited Rome’s police commissioner Carmine Belfiore as saying that Zelensky had left the Italian capital.
Zelensky and the Ukrainian people are due to be awarded the prestigious Charlemagne Prize in the western city of Aachen on Sunday.
The German government announced a massive new military aid package for Ukraine on Saturday, including dozens of armoured vehicles and tanks as well as air defence missiles and artillery ammunition.
In Rome, extraordinary security measures were in place ahead of Zelensky’s arrival. Around 1,500 police and security personnel were deployed on Saturday to ensure that the state visit runs smoothly.
Special security checks were in place at airports, railway stations and the metro. A no-fly zone was set up over the city, including for drones, and snipers were positioned everywhere that Zelensky was expected to visit.
Ukrainians living in Italy gathered in the well-known Piazza Barberini in the centre of Rome in anticipation of Zelensky’s arrival. Despite the rain, they sang the Ukrainian national anthem together.
“We want to tell the president that we are with him,” the head of the Christian Association of Ukrainians in Italy, Oles Horodetskyy, said on Italian television. They are confident that “Ukraine will send away the invaders to create a just peace.”
