Pope Leo breaks silence on X with four-word message to Putin ahead of Zelensky meeting

Pope Leo XIV penned a scathing four-word message to Vladimir Putin as he broke his silence on X on Wednesday. He also offered the Vatican as a meeting place for peace talks

Pope Leo penned a scathing message to Vladimir Putin as he broke his silence on X.

The new pontiff's post comes just a day ahead of Putin's scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul, Turkey. It will be the first time the leaders have met since December 2019.

"War is never inevitable," Leo said, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, which has been plagued by war for over three years. "Weapons can and must fall silent, for they never solve problems but only intensify them."

"Those who sow peace will endure throughout history, not those who reap victims. Others are not enemies to hate but human beings with whom to speak."

The messages come just a day ahead of Putin's scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which is slated to take place in Istanbul, Turkey. It will be the first meting between the warring world leaders since December 2019, mere months after Zelensky's inauguration.

Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, hoping to annex the country, which he claims rightfully belongs to Russia. It was once a part of the former Soviet Union but gleaned independence in the 1990s.

Putin himself was the one who proposed restarting the peace talks, and Zelensky agreed to meet the Russian leader in person. But what will unfold remains unclear, with the Kremlin refusing to confirm who will go to Turkey and whether it will include Putin himself.

Zelensky will only sit down with the Russian leader himself, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said. "If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the