Ukraine stated that it “does not know” about a peacekeeping mission with the participation of the Vatican to resolve the conflict with Russia.

“President Zelensky did not agree to such discussions on behalf of Ukraine,” a Ukrainian official close to the presidential administration told CNN. “If the discussions are happening, they are happening without our knowledge or blessing.”

The official ruled out any papal role after Pope Francis told reporters on Sunday that the Vatican was part of a mission to end the war in Ukraine.

“The mission is ongoing, but it is not yet public,” he said after a three-day trip to Hungary.

“When it is public, I will reveal it,” the Pope added.

“I believe that peace is always achieved by opening channels of communication. You can never achieve peace by shutting them down. … Such a thing is not easy,” said the Supreme Pontiff.

The Pope added that he spoke about the situation in Ukraine with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Metropolitan Hilarion, the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Budapest.

Pope Francis: “We did not talk about Little Red Riding Hood at these meetings”

“At these meetings, we talked not only about Little Red Riding Hood. We talked about all these things. Everyone is interested in the path to peace,” he said.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Francis has pleaded for peace almost every week and has repeatedly expressed his desire to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow.

So far, his proposal has not brought any progress.

86-year-old Pope Francis previously stated that he wants to visit Kyiv and Moscow on a peacekeeping mission.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, during a meeting with the Pope on Thursday in the Vatican, said that he discussed the “peace formula” proposed by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.