Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with Pope Leo XIV and thanked him for the Vatican’s efforts to help return children taken by Russia during the war.

According to an official statement from the Holy See, the two leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace.”

Pope Leo XIV met with Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Castel Gandolfo, reiterating Vatican’s offer to host Russia–Ukraine peace talks and called for return of kidnapped children.