Vatican confirms Russia-Ukraine peace mission

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - The Vatican confirmed a Russia-Ukraine peace mission on Wednesday but refrained from going into further detail, saying it is at a confidential level.

There are developments, but they are, of course, confidential, said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on the sidelines of an event at the Pontifical Lateranense University in the Italian capital of Rome, according to the state-run ANSA news agency.

“I really believe it will move forward," he asserted.

At the end of April, Pope Francis announced that the Vatican is involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, without disclosing details.

"There is a mission underway now but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it," the Pope told reporters on his way back from Hungary.

Both Kyiv and Moscow later denied any knowledge of the initiative.

Parolin, however, insisted that "They were not denials.”

"They had said they didn't know anything about it, but then there were contacts where it was clarified on both sides that there had been a misunderstanding,” he added.