Zelenskyy seeks Pope’s help to free Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on 11 October 2024, seeking assistance in securing the release of Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia. The 35-minute meeting was their second face-to-face encounter in four months.

Pope Francis has previously faced multiple controversies in his approach to the Russian war in Ukraine. Notably, his calls for peace negotiations have drawn criticism for potentially benefiting Russia by freezing the conflict without addressing Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

The Ukrainian President’s website reported that Zelenskyy invited the Vatican to participate in a conference on prisoners-of-war scheduled to take place on 30-31 October in Canada. The Ukrainian leader also discussed his proposed “Peace Formula” for the war with Russia, which he has been presenting during his tour of major European capitals.

“We are counting on the Holy See’s assistance in helping to bring back Ukrainians who have been taken captive by Russia,” the President’s X account wrote.

Vatican News reported that during the meeting, Pope Francis expressed concern about the suffering of Ukrainian children, highlighting that many have lost the ability to smile due to the ongoing war. According to the Ukrainian President’s website, Zelenskyy emphasized the ongoing issue of forced relocation of Ukrainian children by Russian forces, stating,

“Russia continues to forcibly relocate our Ukrainian children – from one occupied area to another. It also continues to deport our Ukrainian children to Russia, and it becomes extremely difficult to find these children later.”

The Ukrainian president also brought attention to the plight of imprisoned journalists, mentioning the recent news about the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian captivity. He requested the Pope’s assistance in securing the return of Ukrainian journalists, public figures, and community leaders from occupied territories.

“We know that over 400 women are held captive in Russia. It has been confirmed through the International Committee of the Red Cross and other sources that 1,700 civilians are in captivity. According to our information, this number could be significantly higher,” Zelenskyy said.

Reuters reported that at the conclusion of their meeting, Pope Francis presented Zelenskyy with a bronze artwork depicting a flower growing next to a bird, inscribed with the phrase “Peace is a fragile flower.” In return, Zelenskyy gave the pope an oil painting showing a child amid ruins in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, which was occupied by Russian forces for 33 days in spring 2022.

This marks the third time Zelenskyy has met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, with previous meetings occurring on 13 May 2023 and 8 February 2020, prior to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky and the Pope also met during the G7 summit in Apulia, Italy.

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