President Volodymyr Zelensky’s confidant now said: “There is no point in talking about a mediator in the name of the Roman Pope if he takes a pro-Russia stance that is clear to all.” This has an “extremely negative” impact on the war. podoljak added: “We are not getting a proper assessment of this war and model of behavior from the Vatican.”
As the Vatican’s special representative, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi has been mediating between Moscow and Kiev for months. The Italian has already visited both capitals. The Pope himself has repeatedly called for peace in public appearances and regularly reminds us of the suffering of Ukrainians. However, he does not directly describe Russia as the aggressor on such occasions. This cost Argentina its initial support in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Zelensky said it was becoming increasingly difficult to obtain arms supplies for the fight against Russia. At a conference in Kiev, he said the counteroffensive launched three months ago would go further if the Ukrainian army had access to more effective weapons. The Ukrainian president stressed that the new sanctions against Russia would also be more difficult to implement.
