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.

Amid escalating global interest in resolving the Russia–Ukraine war, Pope Leo XIV offered the Vatican as a neutral ground for the next round of peace negotiations. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni confirmed the Pope’s willingness.