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Cardinal Matteo Zuppi's mission to Moscow did not involve any discussions about a peace plan, Reuters cited the papal envoy on July 3.
His visit focused on humanitarian issues related to the Russo-Ukrainian War, the cardinal told the Italian public broadcaster RAI.
Zuppi arrived in Moscow on June 27, meeting Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani commented on June 29 that Moscow likely did not offer the Vatican envoy any assurances on starting a peace dialogue, instead inviting discussion on recovering abducted Ukrainian children, maintaining the grain corridor, and creating a free zone around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
"There is a big aspiration that the violence will end and that human life can be preserved, starting with the protection of the little ones," the Holy See's envoy commented on his visit.
President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted Cardinal Zuppi in Kyiv on June 6, discussing Ukraine's peace formula and Russian war crimes, including the destruction of the Kakhovka dam that took place on that day.
While rejecting an immediate ceasefire without a path to sustainable peace, Zelensky appealed to the Vatican for assistance with the release of Ukrainian prisoners, the return of Russia-deported children, and the restoration of justice.
Dinara Khalilova
(Updated: )
