Zelenskyy and the Pope talked for 40 minutes and exchanged gifts

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pope Francis held a 40-minute conversation in the Vatican.  Source: This was reported by the Italian publication La Repubblica, as "European Pravda" writes.  Details: Pope met Zelenskyy, leaning on his cane.

President Zelenskyy, greeting Pope Francis, put his hand on his heart and bowed his head.  During the conversation, which lasted 40 minutes, an interpreter was present with Pope Francis and Zelenskyy. The details of the negotiations are currently unknown. 

Pope Francis presented President Zelenskyy with a small sculpture of an olive branch, a symbol of peace.

Instead, the Ukrainian president presented the Pope with an icon of the Madonna painted on the remains of a bulletproof vest.  After the conversation with Pope Francis, the President of Ukraine left the Vatican.  Since the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022, Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have regularly appealed to the Pope to visit Ukraine.

The Pope said he was ready to visit, but only if he could go to Moscow to promote peace. 

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Finally, on the 444th day of the full-scale war, Zelenskyy visited the Pope.  Zelenskyy's trip followed intriguing comments from Pope Francis last month when he hinted at participating in a peacekeeping mission, an initiative that neither Russia nor Ukraine has confirmed. 

Background: Today, Zelenskyy also met with Italy's president and prime minister in Rome. After negotiations with Zelenskyy, Meloni promised to provide Kyiv with full support for joining the EU, particularly helping in the reform field.  Meloni also expressed confidence in Ukraine's victory in the war against Russia, saying that Rome will continue to work with allies to provide military support to Kyiv in the future.

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