Pope Leo XIV has urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of the upcoming high-stakes meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vatican News reported.
Speaking outside his summer residence at Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, the pope emphasized the need for dialogue over conflict, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
"We must always seek a ceasefire. The violence, the many deaths, must stop. Let's see how they can come to an agreement," Leo XIV said. "After all this time, what is the purpose of war? We must always seek dialogue, diplomatic efforts, not violence, not weapons."
Kyiv and European leaders have repeatedly called for an unconditional ceasefire as the first step toward negotiations, a proposal that Moscow has consistently rejected.
The Trump-Putin summit in Alaska is scheduled to begin between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m. local time on August 15. The meeting will feature a one-on-one session with interpreters present and marks the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since the start of Trump’s second term.
Speaking to Fox Radio on August 14, Trump expressed optimism about reaching an agreement.
"I believe now he's convinced that he's going to make a deal. He's going to make a deal. I think he's going to," Trump said. "And we're going to find out, I'm going to know very quickly."
Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had indicated his readiness for a three-way meeting, Trump later confirmed that Zelensky would not attend the Alaska summit. Putin has also noted that additional groundwork is necessary before such a meeting can take place.
