Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's call to Pope Leo XIV may indicate that he is in dire straits diplomatically.
Dr. Yurii Pidlisny, head of the Department of Political Science at UCU, stated this on his Facebook page.
He observed that when the Vatican proposed its territory as a venue for negotiations, the Russian Foreign Minister stated that this was not feasible.
Pidlisny remarked, “Suddenly, a conversation between Putin and the Pope takes place. Putin needs to convert his diplomatic losses into wins, which is why he decided to reach out to Pope Leo XIV.”
He emphasized that the pontiff has a very clear understanding of the nature of this war, who is responsible for it, and what it entails.
According to Yurii Pidlisny, “Putin is desperately trying to alter the diplomatic stance of the current Pope.”
As reported, after his election, Pope Leo XIV had a telephone conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky.
"It was our first conversation, and it was very warm and truly substantive. I thanked him for his support of Ukraine and all our people. We greatly appreciate His Holiness' words about the need to achieve a just and lasting peace for our country and the release of prisoners," the Ukrainian president stated in a telegram.
Zelensky emphasized that he spoke with the Pope about the thousands of Ukrainian children deported by Russia and expressed that Ukraine is counting on the Vatican's assistance in bringing them home.
"I informed him about the agreement between Ukraine and our partners that a complete and unconditional ceasefire should begin today (May 12), and I also confirmed our readiness for further negotiations in any format, including direct talks, which we have repeatedly emphasized. Ukraine wants to end this war and is doing everything it can to achieve this. We are waiting for Russia to take the appropriate steps," Zelensky said, adding that he had invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine, which "would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people."
Yurii Pidlisny commented on the invitation and the possibility of Pope Leo XIV visiting Ukraine during the program "Symposium: Conversations about the Church and the World," stating, "The Pope's visit would very clearly demonstrate the world's solidarity with Ukraine."