ROME – As negotiations continue to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, the country’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone call with a top Vatican diplomat to discuss the return of Ukrainian children and a prisoner exchange.
The Vatican confirmed the March 14 call between Zelenskyy and the Holy See’s Secretary of State, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, but did not provide further information about the conversation.
Zelenskyy in a post on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, on Friday said he wished Pope Francis “a speedy recovery” amid his month-long hospitalization for double pneumonia.
He conveyed thanks to the pope for his “moral support of our people” and for the pope’s help in facilitating the return of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia.
“The Holy See has received a list of Ukrainians being held in Russian prisons and camps. We are counting on the [Vatican’s] support for their release,” Zelenskyy said.
In April 2023 Pope Francis confirmed publicly that the Holy See had assisted in several prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia.
Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, the pope’s special peace envoy for Ukraine, has been working to address humanitarian needs on the ground, and to secure the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia.
Zuppi in this capacity so far has made trips to Kyiv, Moscow, Washington D.C. and Beijing.
In his post on X, Zelenskyy said a prisoner exchange and “an unconditional 30-day full interim ceasefire” are the first steps toward “a just and lasting peace.”
“Ukraine is ready to take these steps because the Ukrainian people want peace more than anyone. Meanwhile, the world sees how Russia is deliberately setting conditions that only complicate and drag out the process, as Russia is the only party that wants the war to continue and diplomacy to break down,” he said.
The phone call comes as negotiations continue for an initial ceasefire in Ukraine, with Zelenskyy backing a United States proposal for a complete and unconditional ceasefire in the air, at sea, and on the ground at the front line.
A delegation from Ukraine recently met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to discuss negotiations for a ceasefire in a bid to repair damage done during an explosive Feb. 28 meeting between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the Oval Office.
Zelenskyy in a separate March 14 post on X said talks in Saudi Arabia went “very well,” and said it is necessary “to pressure Russia into being constructive, to put an end all these Russian manipulations that could only prolong the war.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously said during a March 13 press conference that he wanted a ceasefire, but that any agreement would need to provide for the surrender of Ukrainian forces in Russian-occupied territory, guarantees that Ukraine would not use the ceasefire to remobilize, and that some form of monitoring of the agreement be established.
Putin on March 13 also wished Pope Francis “good health” and to convey how “particularly useful it is that in the complicated international scenario Russia and the Holy See continue to dialogue” as they have done so far.
The reference is to the fact that Francis since the beginning of the war has gone to great lengths to engage Russia in dialogue, including by sending Zuppi in the summer of 2023 in a bid to move the needle on the return of Ukrainian children, but also to strengthen bilateral relations with the Kremlin.
Zelenskyy on X said Ukraine’s main desire from the outbreak of the war following Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion has been “for Russia to leave our people in peace and for Russian occupiers to get off our land. This is a natural desire for any nation – the desire for independence and security.”
He said his team agreed to a U.S. proposal for silence at air, at sea and on the ground, adding, “We do not want to play games with war.”
“Of course, we think about security guarantees. Of course, we think about how to control the ceasefire. But the first step is necessary. We support our American partners and President Trump in this. We want to trust America and its President,” he said.
Zelenskyy warned that Russia would try to “sabotage everything” and said Putin’s conditions for a halt in hostilities “show that he does not want any ceasefire.”
“Putin cannot exit this war because that would leave him with nothing. That is why he is now doing everything he can to sabotage diplomacy by setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions right from the start even before a ceasefire,” he said, saying Putin will try to “drag everyone into endless discussions” while continuing his effort to make progress on the ground.
Every condition Putin proposes, Zelenskyy said, “is just an attempt to block any diplomacy. This is how Russia works. And we warned about this.”
He urged those who can influence Russia, especially the United States, to apply pressure so that an unconditional ceasefire is reached.
“We believe it is our partners’ responsibility to ensure that Russia is ready to end the war – not to look for reasons why it should continue for more weeks, months, or years, but to end it. Putin will not end the war on his own. But the strength of America is enough to make it happen,” he said.
Zelenskyy in his post about his call with Parolin said the Vatican also has a key role to play, saying, “The voice of the Holy See is very important on the path to peace.”
“I am grateful for the readiness to make efforts towards our shared goal. Thank you for your prayers for Ukraine and for peace,” he said.
After his call with Parolin, Zelenskyy also spoke with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, who is a close friend of Pope Francis and is seen as a key supporter of Ukraine and its fight for independence and territorial integrity.
Follow Elise Ann Allen on X: @eliseannallen
