President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Dec. 9 to temporary her on the newest U.S. push to advance negotiations aimed toward ending Russia’s struggle.
The go to comes as Kyiv works to safe backing from key companions whereas navigating a fraught diplomatic panorama formed by the newest U.S. push for a settlement.
“We had a superb and really substantive dialogue on all points of the diplomatic scenario,” Zelensky stated. “I briefed (Meloni) on the work of our negotiating crew, and we’re coordinating our diplomatic efforts.”
The Ukrainian president additionally met with Pope Leo XIV for a 30-minute dialogue earlier within the day.
“In the course of the talks, the Holy Father reiterated the necessity for the continuation of dialogue,” the Vatican stated following the assembly. “As well as, the questions of prisoners of struggle and the necessity to guarantee the return of Ukrainian kids to their households have been additionally mentioned.”
Pope Leo, who has urged “a simply and lasting peace” since assuming the papacy, has repeatedly voiced help for Ukrainians and signaled the Vatican’s willingness to host negotiations.
Zelensky stated the dialogue centered on humanitarian points, including that he briefed Pope Leo XIV on Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts with the U.S. to advance a peace course of.
He additionally invited the Pope to go to Ukraine, calling such a visit “a robust sign of help for our individuals.”
European leaders have grown uneasy over being excluded from talks constructed round a U.S.–Russian draft plan — the one which demanded sweeping concessions from Kyiv and sparked alarm in EU capitals.
Zelensky’s assembly with him follows talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and different leaders in London on Dec. 8, earlier than the Ukrainian president traveled to Brussels for conferences with NATO Secretary Normal Mark Rutte and senior EU officers.
The Ukrainian president instructed Bloomberg that negotiations with Washington nonetheless hinge on “delicate points,” together with safety ensures and the standing of japanese Ukrainian areas.
Brussels stays divided over U.S. concepts for dealing with frozen Russian belongings, with Belgium — the place many of the funds are held — resisting proposals to redirect them.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen stated they held “constructive” discussions on Dec. 5 with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, although no shift in Belgium’s place has been confirmed.
Nationwide Safety and Protection Council Secretary Rustem Umerov visited the U.S. final week to proceed revising the U.S.-backed plan. The trouble comes as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner push forward with parallel contacts.
Their Dec. 2 assembly with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow ended with out progress.
Kremlin officers stated Russia nonetheless refuses to compromise on its core calls for, together with blocking Ukraine’s path to NATO and forcing a full withdrawal from elements of Donetsk Oblast — phrases Kyiv rejects.
Seven EU leaders voice help for mortgage to Ukraine backed by Russian belongings
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