Pope Francis drops statement on Vatican mediation in Ukraine war

During a recent interview, the Pope distinguished between the Vatican’s role in advocating for peace and its role as a direct mediator in conflicts.

“I’d make a distinction in terms of the voice of the Holy See in advocating for peace and a role as mediator, which I think is very different and is not as realistic as the first one,” Pope Leo XIV noted.

According to the Pope, his voice, along with the voices of Christians and people of goodwill, is always directed toward emphasizing that peace is the only answer.

Pope Leo XIV pointed out that years of futile killings on both sides in the conflict in Ukraine and in other regions highlight the need to seek alternative ways to resolve problems.

The Pope stressed that although the Vatican continues to support calls for peace, the realities of war make the role of mediator in the specific Ukrainian conflict less realistic at this time.

“The useless killing after these years of people on both sides - in that particular conflict (Russia’s war against Ukraine - ed.), but in other conflicts - I think people have to somehow be wakened up to say, there’s another way to do this,” Pope Leo XIV concluded.

Vatican mediation in Russia’s war against Ukraine

For a long time, the Vatican refrained from commenting on US President Donald Trump's proposal.

After his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that Pope Leo XIV could act as a mediator to end the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the idea of the Vatican as a potential venue for peace talks was “a bit inelegant,” given that Russia and Ukraine are Orthodox countries.

Reuters previously explained that the Kremlin opposes the Vatican as a negotiation platform for two reasons.