Archbishop Paul Gallagher has said that the Ukraine war “must end” as he spoke next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a press conference following their meeting. The statement comes as Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Gallagher is conducting his diplomatic visit to Moscow as part of the Holy See’s attempts to facilitate peace between the two countries.
Archbishop Gallagher said the two had spoken of the “tragic war in Ukraine” and discussed possible avenues for a “just and lasting peace”, as well as addressing humanitarian issues within the conflict. The archbishop noted the “lingering and substantial differences” in the two parties’ evaluation of the conflict. However, the two agreed on the importance of maintaining channels of communication and protecting the civilian populations.
