 "Zelenskyy meets Pope Leo as he prepares revised peace plan on war against Russia")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo XIV in Italy on Tuesday as Kyiv finalised a revised set of proposals to send to the United States regarding the framework for ending Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The diplomatic push comes as US President Donald Trump has increased pressure on Ukraine to reach a settlement. Trump had previously slammed Zelenskyy for allegedly dismissing an initial White House plan, which many of Ukraine’s European allies viewed as overly favourable to Russian interests.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Zelenskyy confirmed that an original 28-point plan presented by Washington had been pared down to 20 points following intense weekend talks between US and Ukrainian officials.
“We do not like everything that our partners came back with,” Zelenskyy stated, adding that the main sticking points were not entirely with the Americans, but stemmed from the core Russian demands. He affirmed, however, that the new 20-point framework would be sent to the US on Tuesday evening.
The initial US proposal reportedly required Ukraine to surrender territories not currently captured by Russia in exchange for security promises that fall short of Kyiv’s goal of joining NATO. Zelensky firmly rejected the idea of ceding any land: “We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law. And we don’t have any moral right either.”
The Ukrainian President also stressed that the security component remains unresolved: “The key is to know what our partners will be ready to do in the event of new aggression by Russia. At the moment, we have not received any answer to this question.”
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View AllZelenskyy’s stop in Italy followed Monday meetings in London and Brussels with key European leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that the leaders are preparing “robust security guarantees and measures for Ukraine’s reconstruction,” stressing that the “main issue” remains finding “convergence” between the European-Ukrainian position and that of the United States.
Zelenskyy is set to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later in the day. Meloni has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv, although her government last week postponed a decision on renewing military aid authorisation, which is set to expire on December 31. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU’s commitment, stating, “Ukraine’s sovereignty must be respected. Ukraine’s security must be guaranteed, in the long term, as a first line of defence for our Union.”
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