Whether Zuppi will also be accepted in Moscow and Kiev remains to be seen. Ukrainian President Zelensky himself visited the Pope two weeks ago. “It wasn’t an easy conversation”, said De Volder, “but of course he was there”.
Zelensky then made it clear once again that Ukraine would not make territorial concessions in exchange for peace. He then also rejected Pope Francis’ words that there were victims on both sides of the conflict. According to Zelensky, there is no similarity between the victim and the assailant. The President has also emphasized many times that he does not need mediators, but weapons.
“We know the talk”, replied De Volder, “but we also know that the Ukrainian people are literally bleeding today and a whole generation of young people is dying”. “So I think there is a big demand for peace among the Ukrainian people as well.” Therefore, De Volder does not rule out that Zuppi’s mission has a chance of success somewhere. “The peace dove can often seem naive, but sometimes she’s the smartest, the most foresighted. The wind just isn’t right, but you never know.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said today that Russia views the pope’s initiative positively, but also emphasized that there are no plans to visit Moscow in the near future.
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