Putin tells new pope that Ukraine is intent to escalate the war

5/6/2025 6:14

Russian President Vladimir

Putin thanked Pope Leo for offering to help settle the Ukraine

conflict and told him Kyiv is intent on "escalating" the war,

the Kremlin said on Wednesday.



A Kremlin statement said they spoke by phone but did

not give a date. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the pope

offered to host Russia-Ukraine negotiations at the Vatican.



"Gratitude was expressed to the Pontiff for his readiness

to help settle the crisis, in particular the Vatican's

participation in resolving difficult humanitarian issues on a

depoliticised basis," the statement said.



Putin highlighted "that the Kyiv regime is banking on

escalating the conflict and is carrying out sabotage against

civilian infrastructure sites on Russian territory," the

statement said, describing those acts as terrorism.



The Kremlin restated that the conflict's "root causes"

must be addressed, a reference to Russian demands that Ukraine

adopt a neutral status and NATO rule out eastward expansion.



Russia has sought to cultivate good ties with the new

pope and his predecessor, Francis, especially on humanitarian

issues, like family reunifications.



But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other

officials have said the Vatican is not a suitable site for peace

talks between two largely Orthodox Christian countries.



The Kremlin noted progress at direct talks this week

with Ukrainian negotiators on exchanging prisoners and returning

the remains of servicemen.



The Russian statement expressed hope the Vatican would

"take a more active role" in calling for freedom of religion in

Ukraine for members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that has

historic links to Russia.



Ukrainian authorities have launched criminal proceedings

against many of its clergy because of suspected sympathies for

Moscow. A Kyiv-based Ukrainian Orthodox Church has grown larger

in Ukraine during the war.