The Vatican Secretary for Relations with the states (Secretary of State) Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the course of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the issue of the exchange of prisoners.
Gallagher and Lavrov held a telephone conversation on April 4, the Vatican’s written statement said.
The statement reports that the general situation in world politics was discussed, “in particular, an assessment of the situation with the war in Ukraine and some initiatives to terminate hostilities was given.” Once again, the Vatican’s desire was emphasized to continue humanitarian efforts in the exchange of prisoners. Finally, some issues related to religious life and, in particular, the position of the Catholic Church in the Russian Federation. “
were discussed.”
“During the conversation, an exchange of views on the main issues of the international agenda was held, representing mutual interest. In particular, the situation around Ukraine was discussed in the context of the continuing Russian-American dialogue about the necessary and reliable elimination of the indigenous reasons for the Ukrainian crisis.” The Russian minister expressed gratitude to the Vatican for assistance in solving humanitarian issues, including the exchange of prisoners, ”the Russian Foreign Ministry said regarding a telephone conversation.
According to this information, Lavrov and Gallagher also agreed to continue the constructive dialogue.