Zelenskyy might meet the Pope and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might travel to Italy on May 13 and meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis, reported the Kyiv Independent citing the Ansa news agency on May 11. According to the Italian news agency,  the President of Ukraine might make a short trip to Italy while visiting Germany, where he is due to be this weekend. This news comes amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has escalated as Kyiv has secured a logistics hub near Bakhmut, reported AP.

The gains on the territorial front have been made by the Ukrainian forces in the eastern city of Bakhmut have secured an important logistics hub, said the Ukrainian military commanders. 

Zelenskyy to make brief visit to Italy  

As per the sources of the news agency, the Vatican does not rule out that the Pope would meet with Zelenskyy, however, "so far this is only a hypothesis, and therefore there is no official confirmation of the time and place of this possible meeting," reported ANSA.  It is to be noted that Francis has repeatedly vouched for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine and expressed solidarity with the “martyred” Ukrainian people, reported AP.

Further, he has revealed that a secret peace “mission” has been underway. The purpose of the visit of Zelenskyy to Germany is to receive the International Charlemagne Prize, which has been awarded annually by the western German city of Aachen for contributions to European unity.  

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would be giving an honouring speech to the Ukrainian president, as per AP reports. Pope has been in touch with Ukrainian officials as he met with Zelensskyy before the war and last month met with the Ukrainian prime minister, who asked the pontiff’s help in mediating the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia after the Kremlin’s invasion. Before Germany, the Ukrainian president has already made two recent trips abroad in May to discuss support for Ukraine with allies in the ongoing war between Kyiv and Moscow. Germany's visit comes after Finland where he went for a one-day summit with leaders of the Nordic countries on May 3.