Pope Francis Encourages Putin to Sincere Approach for Peace in Ukraine

Pope Francis talked with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night about achieving peace in Ukraine.
The meeting between the leaders started more than an hour late because Putin was tardy. During the meeting the pope gave Putin a medallion of an “angel of peace”. A similar gift stirred controversy when it was given to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
The Vatican said in a statement that both Pope Francis and Putin agreed on the need to “restore a climate of dialogue” and that Russia and Ukraine agree to implement a peace plan that was negotiated in Minsk.
This week, US president Barack Obama issued a stern warning against Putin, saying that G7 nations would toughen sanctions against Russia if the conflict in Ukraine escalated.