Zelensky holds 40-minute talk with Pope Francis.

President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke[1] to Pope Francis in the Vatican for 40 minutes on May 13 during the Ukrainian leader's state visit to Italy, marking the first time Zelensky has met with the Pope since 2020. Pope Francis reportedly gifted Zelensky a small olive branch sculpture that symbolizes peace, while Zelensky gave the pontiff an icon of the Virgin Mary painted onto a piece of body armor. The topics of their discussion have not been made public.

Pope Francis has previously said that the Vatican is ready to mediate for Ukraine and Russia but has shown signals that he doesn't see the invasion as a one-sided war of aggression. He said in March[2] he believes the war is driven by multiple "empires" besides just Russia and stated his readiness to talk to Putin. Yet Pope Francis also said[3] that he's working on a secret mission to halt the war and return the children that Russia abducted from Ukraine.

Zelensky's visit to Rome also included visits with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella. An Italian parliamentary intelligence oversight committee has said[4] that Russia sought to conduct influence campaigns in Italy. The U.S. claimed that Russia spent hundreds of millions of dollars to influence Italian elections, to try to reduce Europe's unity.

Right-wing politicians in Italy have made pro-Russian comments over the years, with Meloni sounding off positively about Russian President Vladimir Putin's 2018 election win. Former leader Silvio Berlusconi knew Putin well and hung out with him, while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has supported Russia and opposed military aid to Ukraine. However, the ruling party, Brothers of Italy, has condemned the invasion and promised to send arms to Ukraine.

Taras Tarasiuk: How the Russian Orthodox Church's covert actions against Ukraine have failed

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, a Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church and not to be confused with the

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References

1. ^ spoke (www.pravda.com.ua)
2. ^ said in March (www.reuters.com)
3. ^ also said (www.nytimes.com)
4. ^ has said (www.aljazeera.com)
5. ^ Taras Tarasiuk: How the Russian Orthodox Church's covert actions against Ukraine have failedEditor's Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

   The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, a Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church and not to be confused with the (kyivindependent.com)