Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the Vatican on July 4 and meet with Pope Francis to discuss a number of pressing international issues, including the crises in Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said, Interfax reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the Vatican on July 4 and meet with Pope Francis to discuss a number of pressing international issues, including the crises in Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said, Interfax reports.
"We are expecting them to touch upon the situation in Syria, i.e., the potential swift reconstruction of its civilian infrastructure, humanitarian aid for victims, as well as touching upon the work of restoring and preserving the Christian shrines and relevant sites in Syria," Ushakov told reporters on Wednesday in advance of the visit.
The two are also expected to discuss the situation in southeastern Ukraine, "the prospects of implementing some of the Roman Catholic Church's humanitarian projects in Donbass," the aide said.
Putin and Pope Francis are additionally "planning to discuss the situation in Venezuela," Ushakov said.