Zelensky Arrives in Italy for Meeting With Pope Francis

Weeks after Pope Francis bewildered the Ukrainian authorities with speak of a secret peace mission, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arrived in Rome on Saturday for conferences with Francis and Italian officers, together with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Mr. Zelensky’s go to comes at a doubtlessly pivotal second within the warfare towards Russia, as Ukrainian forces make advances close to the important thing japanese metropolis of Bakhmut forward of a broadly anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The Ukrainian chief referred to as his journey to the Italian capital — which was positioned below a no-fly zone — “an important visit” for his nation’s “approaching victory.” The Ukrainian flag was raised alongside the Italian flag atop the presidential palace in Rome as Mr. Zelensky met with Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, who advised Mr. Zelensky that it was an “honor” to have him in Rome and that “we are fully at your side.”

The Vatican confirmed that Mr. Zelensky would meet with Francis on Saturday, and he’s additionally scheduled to satisfy with Ms. Meloni, who regardless of softening help for Ukraine in Italian public opinion and in her personal coalition authorities has remained a staunch defender of Kyiv.

Mr. Zelensky’s go to “recognizes the importance of Italy as a key ally” of Ukraine, stated Antonio Tajani, Italy’s international minister. He added that Italy would proceed to supply “total support” to Ukraine within the warfare and stated that whereas peace was fascinating, “Peace means peace with justice, the complete independence of Ukraine.”

In his conferences with the federal government, Mr. Zelensky is anticipated to resume requires Italian navy help, particularly antiaircraft weapons, as Italian analysts stated that continued Western help would exhibit to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that Ukraine’s allies stay united.

But Francis, who abhors the arms commerce, has proven deep nervousness in regards to the struggling attributable to the 15-month battle.

“The war in Ukraine,” Francis stated on Saturday morning on the Vatican, “has brought unspeakable suffering and death.”

Mr. Zelensky and Francis met in Rome for an official go to in 2020 earlier than the warfare, however since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the pope has declined varied invites from the Ukrainian authorities to satisfy Mr. Zelensky in Kyiv.

Francis has said that, in his hopes of ultimately taking part in the function of peacemaker, he needed any go to to Ukraine to be together with a go to to Moscow, however Mr. Putin has repeatedly made it clear that he needed no such go to.

In latest weeks, the pope has sought to thrust himself into the dialogue a few potential peace in Ukraine. On a flight again from Hungary final month, Francis talked cryptically about “a mission going on now, but it is not public yet” to deliver peace, including “when it is public I will talk about it.”

The Kremlin responded by saying it had no thought what the pope was speaking about. And Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, stated, “Ukraine doesn’t know about it.”

Mr. Zelensky didn’t depart Ukraine for the primary 10 months of the warfare and his preliminary journeys exterior the nation — together with to Britain, France and the United States — had been uncommon. In latest weeks, nonetheless, he has visited The Hague and Finland, and is anticipated to journey subsequent to Germany.

Russia continued to strike Ukrainian cities and cities removed from the entrance line in a single day. Serhii Tiurin, a senior official within the Khmelnytskyi area of western Ukraine, stated on Saturday that 21 individuals had been injured in a Russian strike, which officers stated hit a bit of important infrastructure and brought on a big hearth.

Ukraine’s Air Force stated in an announcement that 21 Russian assault drones had been launched at targets throughout the nation in a single day and that 17 had been shot down.

Victoria Kim contributed reporting from Seoul, and Shashank Bengali from Istanbul.