Pope Leo stressed the need to continue dialogue aimed at a "just and lasting peace" during a meeting Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Vatican said in a statement.
The Pope "reiterated the need for continued dialogue and expressed his urgent desire that current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace," the statement said.
"In addition, the issues of prisoners of war and the need to ensure the return of Ukrainian children to their families were also discussed," said the Vatican, which has mediated between Kiev and Moscow on the children's issue.
Zelensky met with Leo at the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo, about 30 kilometers southeast of the Vatican, and will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome later in the day.
The talks with the Pope and Meloni come amid Zelensky's efforts, with the help of European allies, to balance a US-backed draft peace deal with Russia, which is widely seen as favorable to Moscow.
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