Pope before Trump–Putin meeting: End the violence and deaths

Pope Leo XIV. Photo: @Vatican Media

On the evening of August 13, 2025, Pope Leo XIV, responding to a journalist’s question about what to expect from the upcoming August 15 meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that one must always strive for a “truce,” Vatican News reports.

According to him, “it is necessary to put an end to the violence and the many deaths.”

“We will see how they are able to come to an agreement. Where is this long war leading? One must always strive for dialogue, for diplomatic work, not for violence, not for weapons,” the Pontiff added.

Pope Leo stated that although the Vatican cannot stop those who are currently waging wars, it works through “soft diplomacy,” urging and encouraging the search for nonviolent solutions through dialogue and new approaches.

As the UOJ previously reported, American lawyer Robert Amsterdam is convinced that to stop the persecution of the UOC, one phone call from Trump to Zelensky would be enough.

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