Volodymyr Zelensky to meet Italian president in Rome

A first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Italy, to Rome, to meet with Italian political leaders and probably Pope Francis, according to a Vatican source.

A spokesman for the Italian presidency confirmed to AFP that President Sergio Mattarella will receive President Zelensky in Rome, without giving further details for security reasons.

He is also due to meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who visited Kiev in February to confirm Italy's support for Ukraine, despite the peninsula's close ties with Russia before the invasion. "I wanted [to come to Kiev] to reiterate Italy's full support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, and to reaffirm that Italy has no intention of weakening," the far-right leader said.

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The 86-year-old pope, who already welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to the Vatican in February 2020, has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine and prays for his victims almost every week during his general audience.

Last month, he received Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal, who invited him to Ukraine to visit his country and asked for his help in repatriating Ukrainian children taken to Russia by Moscow's forces.

Shmygal also said they discussed President Zelensky's peace plan and "different steps the Vatican could take" to help Kiev achieve its goals.

"The Holy See is willing to do it because it is right, it is the right thing to do and we must help," Francis said a few days later on his return from Hungary. At the press conference, the pope said he was ready to do whatever was necessary for peace in Ukraine, adding: "A mission is underway, but it is not yet public."

Subsequently, Kiev and Moscow said they knew nothing about the mission.