After arriving in Castel Gandolfo for short mini-break, Pope Leo XIV briefly spoke to reporters about different conflicts taking place in the world.

Speaking about Ukraine just days before U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday to discuss ending the war in European country, the pontiff said the countries “must always seek a ceasefire.”

“The violence, the many deaths, must stop. Let’s see how they can come to an agreement. Because after all this time, what is the purpose of war? We must always seek dialogue, diplomatic efforts, not violence, not weapons,” Leo said, as reported by Vatican News.

On Wednesday, Trump held a video call with European leaders, and French President Emmanuel Macron said the U.S. president pledged that any territorial issues had to be decided with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s involvement, and that security guarantees for the country had to be part of any deal.

However, European leaders also told Trump that he cannot trust Putin in keeping his word.

“It’s most important thing that Europe convinces Donald Trump that one can’t trust Russia,” said Poland’s Donald Tusk.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that during the meeting European leaders made it clear that “Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place.”

Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia has been making slow advances in Ukraine, but is suffering huge casualties, as are the Ukrainians.

The Vatican had offered to host the meeting between Trump and Putin, but Russia refused to have the meeting in Rome.

In his conversation with reporters, Pope Leo also spoke about the the war in Gaza, which has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

The Gaza War broke out following an Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack by Hamas militants that left 1,200 Israelis dead and more than 250 taken as hostages.

Israel immediately launched a retaliatory offensive in Gaza to oust Hamas from leadership, with the subsequent conflict resulting in the deaths of over 70,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian estimates.

A peace deal made earlier this year has broken down, and Israel has increased its attacks on Gaza, killing thousands of people, most of them civilians.

Last month, an Israeli tank launched an attack on the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, killing three people and injuring several others.

On Wednesday, the United Nations reported at least 100 children in Gaza have died from malnutrition and hunger, and that around 40,000 boys and girls have reportedly killed or injured due to bombardment and airstrikes.

“The humanitarian crisis must be resolved. We cannot go on like this. We know the violence of terrorism, and we honor the many who have died, as well as the hostages — they must be freed. But we must also think of the many who are dying of hunger,” Leo told reporters.

Leo admitted the Holy See cannot stop the wars, “but we are working, let’s say, on ‘soft diplomacy,’ always inviting, encouraging the pursuit of nonviolence through dialogue and seeking solutions — because these problems cannot be solved by war.”

Castel Gandolfo is the traditional summer resident for popes, and Leo stayed there July 6–22. He was originally going to visit the town outside of Rome in the weekend around Italy’s Ferragosto holiday, but it was announced on Wednesday he would arrive a few days early, and extend his mini-vacation.

Follow Charles Collins on X: @CharlesinRome