By Philip Pullella
ROME (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plans to attend the inaugural Mass of newly elected Pope Leo at the Vatican on Sunday, war commitments permitting, a top presidential aide told Reuters on Tuesday.
In a telephone interview from Kyiv, Zelenskiy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said the Ukrainian president would be willing to hold talks with any other world leaders on the sidelines of the inauguration.
He added that the new pontiff had told Zelenskiy in a telephone call on Monday that he was ready to facilitate such meetings and had promised to “do his best” to help bring about a just and lasting peace.
Leo, who was elected in a conclave that ended last Thursday, will be officially installed as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics at a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. A number of world leaders are expected to attend.
“He (Zelenskiy) is planning to come, but you know that before (Sunday) we have some other very important meetings,” Yermak said, referring to possible peace talks in Turkey this week.
“Of course during war it’s difficult to be sure, but I know that he will be happy to be in Rome on this day,” he added.
Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump met in St. Peter’s Basilica on the sidelines of the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, where they talked about air defence systems and sanctions on Russia.
“It’s a great place for such meetings. The meeting with Trump was the confirmation of this,” Yermak said.
The United States has not yet said who will represent the Trump administration on Sunday.
Yermak said that during the Monday phone call with Zelenskiy, the pope was “very warm talking about Ukraine. He said he is ready to do the best to achieve a just and lasting peace”.
He added that the pope’s reaction to an invitation from Zelenskiy to visit Ukraine was “very, very positive” but that no commitment was made.
Yermak downplayed some of the low points in relations between Kyiv and the Vatican during the papacy of Pope Francis, who sometimes made comments that irritated Ukrainians.
When Francis said Ukraine should have the “courage of the white flag” to end the war there, the comment drew widespread criticism from allies of Kyiv but was hailed by Russia, which invaded its neighbour in February 2022.
“We think it (Leo’s papacy) will be some continuation of the policy of Pope Francis,” Yermak said, mentioning a papal pledge to continue humanitarian aid and to help return Ukrainian children taken by Russia from their homes.
“But at the same time, it will be a new policy,” he said.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
