The question of Ukraine’s potential NATO membership remains a central, contentious issue in its ongoing war with Russia. -Moscow has consistently cited NATO expansion towards its borders as a primary justification for the 2022 invasion,

Russia is trying to buy time to continue the war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 20, reacting to a recent call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Vatican has a deep history of conflict mediation, with varying degrees of success. An effort by the pope to end the war in Ukraine would face long odds.