Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested Pope Francis's support for Kyiv's peace plan on Saturday, while the Pope indicated that the Vatican would assist in the return of Ukrainian children taken by the Russians. During the 40-minute meeting at the Vatican, Zelensky, who is visiting Rome for the first time since the war began, expressed that it was “a great honor," placing his hand over his heart and bowing to the Pope, who is 86 years old and standing with the aid of a cane.
Zelensky presented the Pope with a bulletproof vest that had been used by a Ukrainian soldier and later adorned with an image of the Virgin Mary. Kyiv estimates that nearly 19,500 children have been moved to Russia or the annexed Crimean Peninsula since February 2022, which it condemns as illegal deportations.
Zelensky later tweeted, “We must do our utmost to bring them home,” adding that he discussed this issue with the Pope. He also requested the Pope to "join" Kyiv's ten-point peace plan, which calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian forces, cessation of hostilities, and restoration of Ukraine’s borders. Zelensky has repeatedly stated that the plan is non-negotiable. In his tweet, he mentioned, “I asked the [Pope] to condemn Russian crimes in Ukraine, as there can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor.”
