The Meloni of Italy, ready to help when Vatican agrees to Trump’s war mediation plan

Italy has supported the suggestion of President Donald Trump that the Vatican could mediate about negotiating a cease -the fire in Ukraine, while he seems to take a step back from the process itself.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said Italy was ready to “facilitate contacts and work on peace” in Ukraine and the “positive” what it said was the willingness of the Pope to host the conversations in the Vatican.

There is not even a permanent agreement about further discussions: last Friday’s meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul has set additional requirements from Moscow, not for progress.

Pope Leo said last week that the Vatican was “always ready” to bring enemies together and he would “make every effort” for peace to prevail.

But the holy chair says that the idea of ​​hosting or even mediating, conversations – that Trump suggested was an option – is more a lot for now than any concrete plan.

If direct involvement continues, Ukraine seems to be open to the idea of ​​the Vatican as a host.

VolodyMyr Zensky posted on X on Tuesday that he had spoken with Giorgia Meloni, including “possible platforms for conversations with the Russians”.

The Italian prime minister had, “as always, cool ideas,” although he also raised Turkey and Switzerland as alternative locations.

The Kremlin may prefer to stay in Turkey. It goes without saying a process called “Istanbul Plus”, and styling any conversations as a follow-up about the deal that is initially discussed in Turkey shortly after the full invasion.

Those conditions, including Ukraine that drastically reduce its own army, would now represent capitulation for KYIV.

But Russia has added more: the “plus” section means recognition of the annexation of four partially occupied regions of Ukraine and Crimea.

The actual location is not very important for the Kremlin: the only thing it wants is that the discussion on the conditions of Vladimir Putin is.

The prospect of meaningful progress, short, looks slim.

But could the Vatican give some extra moral authority in the push for a sort of compromise?

The Catholic Church has a history of helping mediating conflicts and it has already been involved in conversations with free prisoners and returns Ukrainian children who are abducted by Russia.

However, the real input there is not clear, because others have played the same role.

On the other hand, the Vatican – especially every involvement of the new Pope – would introduce a different tone in the procedure.

The silent style cannot be further from the main posts of Donald Trump and his brutal public confrontation with Zensky in the Oval Office. And the setting seems to have already done wonders about the relationships of the men.

It was at the funeral of Pope Francis that they were broken deep in conversation, heads close by, in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Vatican is proud of his diplomacy: that is why, when others break the ties with Moscow after the Ukraine started to bomb, the Catholic Church sent a cardinal envoy to talk to the Kremlin. It made no impact.

Pope Francis, like Donald Trump, always openly identified Russia as the aggressor. Vatican sources say that it was to keep the door for Dialogue Ajar, even if it seemed hopeless.

But Francis made Ukrainians more upset by suggesting that Russia was “provoked” by NATO in his invasion. Then he agreed that it could be wise for Kyiv to “lift the white flag” and surrender.

For Kyiv, Pope Leo can be a preferred potential peace broker. He is certain as a bishop who denounces the invasion of Russia as an imperialist war and the condemnation of crimes against humanity committed by Putin’s troops.

That is unlikely that the Kremlin Faze, if the Vatican ever organized conversations.

“Putin can explain his position to the pope, he believes it is normal. In his mind, it is Ukraine that is not serious about peace talks,” Tatiana Stanovaya argued, of the Carnegie Russia Erazia Center.

“I don’t believe for a second that the pope can influence Putin’s understanding in any way.”

At this point, Russia is not under great pressure to give the land: all the lectures by Donald Trump about punishing Putin for his immovability have become in the trade with Russia. Offering stimuli, no sanctions threaten.

It is true that Moscow wanted much more.

“They want Zensky to be removed and for the US and the EU to stop military aid, but the US is on the Ukraine side – from the Russian perspective,” says Tatiana Stanovaya.

So Russia is willing to play the long game – which does not compromise.

“If the Pope could help Ukraine put pressure on, Putin would have no problem (with his involvement),” she says.

That seems to be the real problem here. It runs much deeper than whether the two sides eat me or antipasti between hypothetical rounds of new conversations.