Pope Francis will soon not be able to visit Moscow and Kyiv, nor will he be able to attend a meeting of religious leaders in Kazakhstan on September 13-15 on the orders of his doctor due to knee problems, the Sovereign Pontiff told CNN Portugal, Reuters reports.

In an excerpt of the interview published on the channel’s website, Francis was asked about his previously announced plans to visit Ukraine and Russia following his recent trip to Canada to promote dialogue to end hostilities between the two countries.

“Now I can’t go because after the trip to Canada there was a little setback with the knee repair and the doctor forbade the trip saying ‘you can’t go to Kazakhstan,'” Pope said.

“But we kept in touch by phone … Something could be done between all of us. I follow (the situation) with my pain and my prayers. But the situation is really tragic,” he said.

“I always believe that with dialogue we move forward,” the Sovereign Pontiff added.

In an interview with Reuters in July, Francis said he would like to visit Kyiv, but would also like to go to Moscow, preferably first, to promote peace.

At the time, he said he suffered a “small fracture” in his knee when he took a wrong step when the ligament was ignited. Francis was due to be in Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan, to attend the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.