In the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Francis.
The President thanked His Holiness for his prayers for peace in Ukraine, spiritual closeness to Ukrainians, humanitarian aid, and the Vatican's participation in the first Peace Summit.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the work being carried out to implement the Peace Formula, specifically about the upcoming conference on the return of prisoners and deported Ukrainians, which will be held on October 30–31 in Canada at the ministerial level. He invited a representative of the Vatican to participate in this event.
The President noted that among those held in Russian captivity are wounded, critically ill individuals, women, and children.
"Russia continues to forcibly relocate our Ukrainian children – from one occupied area to another. It also continues to deport our Ukrainian children to Russia, and it becomes extremely difficult to find these children later," the President emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also highlighted the plight of imprisoned journalists, mentioning the recent news about the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian captivity. He asked the Pontiff to assist in the return of Ukrainian journalists, public figures, community leaders from occupied territories, and all others held captive. During the meeting, it was agreed that Ukraine would provide a list of imprisoned journalists.
"We know that over 400 women are held captive in Russia. It has been confirmed through the International Committee of the Red Cross and other sources that 1,700 civilians are in captivity. According to our information, this number could be significantly higher," the President noted.
The President stressed that almost all those who return from captivity require medical care and long-term rehabilitation.
