After presiding over his official installation Mass following his election to the papacy, Pope Leo XIV held a private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In remarks before reciting the Regina Caeli Marian prayer at the end of his Inauguration Mass, the Pope expressed solidarity with those “who are suffering because of war”.
He specifically mentioned the conflict in Gaza, saying that children, families and the elderly who have survived “are reduced to starvation”, while in Myanmar a fresh outbreak of violence has increased the number of casualties.
Leo also referred to “war-torn Ukraine”, saying it “awaits negotiations for a just and lasting peace”.
After Mass, Pope Leo XIV briefly shook hands with Zelenskyy and his wife while greeting the various delegations and heads of state present. He then held a private meeting with Zelenskyy in his office at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
The meeting lasted approximately 30 minutes. The Vatican has not provided details about the conversation, stating only that it was private.
In a tweet sent during Sunday’s Mass, Zelenskyy thanked the Pope for his appeal for “a just peace and for the attention to Ukraine and our people”.
“Every nation deserves to live in peace and security,” he said, congratulating Pope Leo XIV at the beginning of “this very special mission” and expressing hope that “the prayers for a just peace and a life of dignity for all people be heard”.
The meeting came a week after their first phone call, with Zelenskyy saying in a 12 May tweet that he had invited the newly elected pontiff to visit Ukraine.
Although it was their first conversation, Zelenskyy described it as “already a very warm and truly substantive one”.
“I thanked His Holiness for his support of Ukraine and all our people. We deeply value his words about the need to achieve a just and lasting peace for our country and the release of prisoners. We also discussed the thousands of Ukrainian children deported by Russia,” he said, adding that “Ukraine counts on the Vatican’s assistance in bringing them home to their families”.
He said he also briefed Pope Leo on an agreement between Ukraine and its allies that “a full and unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days must begin”.
“I also reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness for further negotiations in any format, including direct talks – a position we have repeatedly emphasised. Ukraine wants to end this war and is doing everything to achieve that. We now await similar steps from Russia,” he said, reiterating his invitation to the Pope.
On Sunday 11 May, in his first Regina Caeli address, the Pope had prayed for peace in Ukraine, asking that “everything possible be done to reach an authentic, just and lasting peace, as soon as possible. Let all the prisoners be freed and the children return to their own families”.
After meeting Pope Leo, Zelenskyy held talks with United States Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom are Catholic and also attended the installation Mass.
It was Zelenskyy and Vance’s first formal meeting since a tense exchange at the White House earlier this year, which was also attended by US President Donald Trump.
However, on the day of Pope Francis’s funeral, Trump and Zelenskyy had a private conversation in St Peter’s Basilica to discuss peace efforts.
In a tweet on 18 May, Zelenskyy described the meeting with Vance and Rubio as “good”, saying “we discussed negotiations in Istanbul, to which the Russians sent a low-level delegation of non-decision-makers”.
“I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to engage in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible,” he said, adding that the talks also addressed “the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defence cooperation, the battlefield situation and the upcoming prisoner exchange”.
He stressed the need to pressure Russia “until they are eager to stop the war”, and said the joint commitment to achieving “a just and durable peace” was also discussed. He thanked the United States for its “support and leadership in saving lives”.
In his Regina Caeli remarks today, Pope Leo asked for the Virgin Mary’s intercession in obtaining “the gift of peace, for support and comfort for those who suffer, and for the grace for all of us to be witnesses to the Risen Lord”.
