Pope Francis expressed his readiness to travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. This was stated by the pontiff in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
“After 20 days of war, I asked Cardinal [Pietro] Parolin to convey a message to Putin that I am ready to go to Moscow,” Papa said in an interview. “We have not yet received an answer and we continue to insist, although I fear that Putin cannot and will not hold this meeting at the moment,” he added.
Pope Francis said that “until he goes to Kyiv.” “I sent cardinals Mikhail Chernoy and Konrad Kraevsky, who went there for the fourth time. But I feel that I do not need to go. First I must go to Moscow, I must first meet with Putin,” the head of the department said.
He added that his meeting with Patriarch Kirill will take place “June 14 in Jerusalem.” As the pontiff said earlier, Vatican diplomacy realized that “a meeting at this time could be confusing.” At the same time, he described his relationship with the Russian spiritual leader as “very good.”