Pope Francis said in an interview published on Tuesday that he asked for a meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to stop the special military operation in Ukraine but had not received a reply.
The Pope told Italy’s Corriere Della Sera newspaper that about three weeks into the conflict, he asked the Vatican’s top diplomat to send a message to Putin.
He said the message was “that I was willing to go to Moscow. Certainly, it was necessary for the Kremlin leader to allow an opening. We have not yet received a response and we are still insisting”.
He added: “I fear that Putin cannot, and does not, want to have this meeting at this time.”
Speaking about the situation in Ukraine, the Pope did not rule out that NATO operations on Russia's borders could provoke the Kremlin.
According to the Pope, the reason for the hostilities in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, African countries and Ukraine is international interests.
