Vatican, Russia foreign ministers hold talks on ending Ukraine war

By Giovanni Legorano and Elena Teslova

ROME / MOSCOW (AA) – Vatican's Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss the war in Ukraine, the Vatican said Friday.

The conversation focused on “the general framework of global politics, with particular attention to the situation of the war in Ukraine and some initiatives aimed at halting military actions,” according to a statement from the Vatican.

The Vatican also reaffirmed its “willingness to continue its humanitarian efforts regarding the exchange of prisoners,” the statement added.

In March, Russia and Ukraine said they had each exchanged 175 prisoners – one of the largest swaps since the Ukraine War began in 2022.

The Vatican played a role in mediating the return of more than a dozen Russian soldiers in two recent prisoner exchanges with Ukraine.

Pope Francis has repeatedly called for Russia and Ukraine to agree to further prisoner exchanges and has offered the Vatican's support to facilitate such efforts.

In a separate statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the two foreign ministers exchanged views on key international issues of mutual concern and particular attention was given to the situation surrounding Ukraine.

It further noted that Lavrov and Gallagher also spoke about the ongoing Russia-US dialogue aimed at resolving the crisis through the "reliable and lasting elimination of its root causes."