U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that the Vatican could host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, following the Holy See’s long-standing offer. This comes after Pope Leo XIV promised to personally make “every effort” to help end the war.
Before meeting with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Vatican’s main representative on Ukraine, in Rome, Rubio told reporters that he would be discussing how the Vatican could help, “the status of the talks, the updates after yesterday (Friday) and the path forward.”
When asked if the Vatican could act as a peace mediator, Rubio replied: “I wouldn’t call it broker, but it’s certainly — I think it’s a place that both sides would be comfortable going.”
“We’ll talk about all of that and obviously always grateful to the Vatican for their willingness to play this constructive and positive role,” Rubio added. He also met with the Vatican secretary of state and foreign minister on Saturday.
The Vatican has a history of staying neutral in diplomatic matters and had long offered its help and venues to facilitate talks. However, during the full-scale war that began on February 24, 2022, it found itself sidelined.
Pope Francis had given Zuppi the task of finding peace solutions, but it mainly focused on the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia and facilitating some prisoner exchanges.
During their meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Rubio thanked Zuppi for the Vatican’s humanitarian efforts, especially in prisoner swaps and returning Ukrainian children. Rubio “emphasized the importance of continued collaboration under the new leadership of Pope Leo XIV,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Marco Rubio and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi pose for a photoPope Leo XIV, the first American pope, was elected on May 8. He has taken up Pope Francis’ call for peace in Ukraine and, during his first Sunday blessing, urged all sides to do what they can to reach “an authentic, just and lasting peace.”
As bishop in Peru, Leo had called Russia’s war “an imperialist invasion,” and this week, he vowed to “make every effort so that this peace may prevail.”
In a speech to Eastern Rite Catholics, including the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine, Leo asked both sides to meet and negotiate. He said, “The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together, face to face, to talk to one another, so that peoples everywhere may once more find hope and recover the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace.”
The Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, repeated the offer to serve as a meeting place for direct talks. He called the failure of negotiations in Istanbul to reach a ceasefire this week “tragic.”
“We had hoped it could start a process, slow but positive, toward a peaceful solution to the conflict,” Parolin said. “But instead we’re back to the beginning.”
When asked what this offer would look like, Parolin said the Vatican could host a direct meeting between the two sides. “One would aim to arrive at this, that at least they talk. We’ll see what happens. It’s an offer of a place,” he said.
The Vatican has a long history of diplomatic success, including facilitating talks between the U.S. and Cuba in 2014, which led to the restoration of diplomatic relations. It has also hosted initiatives like the meeting between the leaders of South Sudan in 2019, where Pope Francis famously bent down to kiss their feet, urging them to make peace.
One of the Vatican’s most important diplomatic efforts came during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. As the U.S. considered how to respond to Soviet missiles in Cuba, Pope John XXIII appealed for peace, urging both leaders to avoid nuclear war. Many historians credit his efforts with helping both sides de-escalate the crisis.