Spanish
ROME — In a gesture of international diplomacy, Pope Leo XIV proposed the Vatican as a neutral venue to initiate peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The initiative was presented during meetings held in the last 72 hours with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with the Vice President of the United States, J.D. Vance, at the Holy See.
The Vatican's proposal is part of a historic tradition of mediation that has characterized the Catholic Church. Throughout the 20th century, papal diplomacy managed to avoid a war between Argentina and Chile through the mediation of Pope John Paul II, and more recently, under the pontificate of Francis, contributed to the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba.
Read more: Why did the new pope choose the name Leo XIV?
The pontiff's announcement also coincides with the parallel efforts of former US President Donald Trump, who seeks to achieve a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. According to sources close to his team, Trump held a conversation of almost two hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in addition to having held two calls with Zelensky, in an attempt to move towards a negotiated solution to the conflict that began in February 2022.
Although there is still no official confirmation from the governments involved regarding their acceptance of the proposed venue, diplomats in Rome believe that the historical neutrality of the Vatican could facilitate a real rapprochement between the parties.
The international community is closely watching this new possibility for dialogue, amidst a war that has claimed thousands of lives and generated an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II.
