Vatican maintains diplomatic channel with Moscow amid Ukraine war humanitarian talks

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, appointed by Pope Francis as the Holy See’s special envoy for humanitarian issues, visited Moscow for the third time, meeting with Yuri Usakov, a senior adviser to President Vladimir Putin, and officials of the Russian Orthodox Church. During the trip he inspected a camp holding Ukrainian prisoners of war and delivered the Pope’s messages of compassion. The talks emphasized urgent topics such as the condition of POWs, locating missing persons, reuniting separated families and addressing the situation of children taken to Russia.

While the Vatican does not present an overall peace framework, it seeks to keep communication channels open between Moscow and Kyiv for humanitarian cooperation. The mission follows earlier contacts in Kyiv, Washington, and Beijing, and aligns with the Vatican’s view that political and diplomatic processes are essential to end the conflict.