Putin Tells New Pope That Ukraine Is Bent on Escalating Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Pope Leo for offering to help settle the Ukraine conflict and told him Kyiv is intent on "escalating" the war, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

A Kremlin statement said they spoke by phone but did not give a date. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the pope offered to host Russia-Ukraine negotiations at the Vatican.

"Gratitude was expressed to the Pontiff for his readiness to help settle the crisis, in particular the Vatican's participation in resolving difficult humanitarian issues on a depoliticised basis," the statement said.

Putin highlighted "that the Kyiv regime is banking on escalating the conflict and is carrying out sabotage against civilian infrastructure sites on Russian territory," the statement said, describing those acts as terrorism.

The Kremlin restated that the conflict's "root causes" must be addressed, a reference to Russian demands that Ukraine adopt a neutral status and NATO rule out eastward expansion.

Russia has sought to cultivate good ties with the new pope and his predecessor, Francis, especially on humanitarian issues, like family reunifications.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other officials have said the Vatican is not a suitable site for peace talks between two largely Orthodox Christian countries.

The Kremlin noted progress at direct talks this week with Ukrainian negotiators on exchanging prisoners and returning the remains of servicemen.

The Russian statement expressed hope the Vatican would "take a more active role" in calling for freedom of religion in Ukraine for members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that has historic links to Russia.

Ukrainian authorities have launched criminal proceedings against many of its clergy because of suspected sympathies for Moscow. A Kyiv-based Ukrainian Orthodox Church has grown larger in Ukraine during the war.