OMM Redaksiyası
Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi held talks with senior Russian officials during a three-day visit to Moscow focused on humanitarian issues linked to the Ukraine war, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
According to the ministry, Pope Francis’ special envoy met Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova and children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.
Zuppi, who also heads the Italian Episcopal Conference, began the visit earlier this week, the ministry said. Vatican News reported on Monday that the situation of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war was among the central issues of his mission.
Humanitarian cooperation and prisoner exchanges
The discussions covered cooperation between Russia and the Vatican on humanitarian matters, including efforts to locate missing people and arrange prisoner swaps.
The ministry also said the talks addressed what it called a “humanitarian crisis” in Oleshky, a city in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region. Zuppi was briefed on what Moscow described as Kyiv’s “criminal actions” in the area.
At the Vatican’s request, Russian authorities arranged for Zuppi to visit a detention facility holding captured Ukrainian servicemen, according to the ministry.
It said the cardinal spoke personally with the servicemen and verified Russia’s adherence to “all relevant humanitarian norms.”
“Cardinal Zuppi’s visit reaffirmed the constructive and regular nature of the dialogue between Russia and the Vatican, as well as the commitment of both sides to continued cooperation in the humanitarian sphere,” the ministry said.
