The US and European leaders are placing their hopes in the Vatican to engage Russia and Ukraine in peace talks, after President Donald Trump said Pope Leo XIV had expressed interest in the idea. The Kremlin isn’t so keen.

The Vatican has a deep history of conflict mediation, with varying degrees of success. An effort by the pope to end the war in Ukraine would face long odds.

The conversation took place after Meloni held phone talks with US President Donald Trump and other European leaders. Read also: Pope Leo XIV urges lasting peace in Ukraine in first public address “Having received confirmation from His Holiness of the Vatican’s readiness to host future talks between the parties,