MOSCOW. June 28 (Interfax) - Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov and Pope Francis' peace envoy for Ukraine Cardinal Matteo Zuppi will discuss possible ways to peacefully resolve the conflict in Ukraine on Wednesday, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
"The pope's special envoy Cardinal Zuppi is in Moscow today. At the instruction of [Russian] President Vladimir Putin, presidential aide Ushakov will hold talks with him today and will discuss the situation around the conflict in Ukraine, and of course possible ways to secure a political and diplomatic solution to it," Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"We have said on a number of occasions that we highly appreciate the Vatican's efforts and initiatives aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis, and welcome the pope's willingness to contribute to putting an end to the armed conflict in Ukraine," he said.
It was reported earlier, with reference to a statement from the Vatican, that Cardinal Zuppi would visit Russia on June 28-29.
The cardinal intends to facilitate "gestures of humanity that can contribute to promoting a solution to the current tragic situation and find paths toward a just peace," the statement said.
Zuppi recently visited Kiev at the instruction of Pope Francis.