Overview
- The 30-minute meeting at Castel Gandolfo focused on the war, with Pope Leo XIV urging continued talks toward a just, lasting peace.
- Discussions included prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children, areas where the Holy See has acted as a mediator.
- Zelenskyy said he would transmit a newly revised 20-point proposal to President Donald Trump the same day, down from an earlier 28-point version.
- He reaffirmed that Ukraine will not cede territory, citing Ukrainian law, the constitution, and international law as the basis for this position.
- Media reports, including Politico, say Washington is pressing Kyiv to withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region, a point of tension as Zelenskyy also meets Italy's Giorgia Meloni in Rome.