SW News: Cardinal Matteo Zuppi and Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov focused on refugees, especially children, during their meeting on Wednesday. According to Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of Moscow, the foreign policy advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the papal envoy on the Ukraine War discussed humanitarian matters, particularly refugees.
 While addressing the Tass news agency, Archbishop Pezzi said, "The meeting between the cardinal and Ushakov went well, in a positive fashion. The main element was humanitarian issues linked to refugees, including minors." No further details regarding the meeting were provided.
Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, had previously stated that the two would talk about the situation surrounding the war in Ukraine and potential diplomatic and political settlement. He further expressed the Kremlin's gratitude for the efforts and initiatives of the Vatican to find a solution to the Ukrainian crisis.
On Tuesday, the Vatican stated that the fundamental goal of the meeting was to promote humanitarian deeds that would aid in ending the conflict.
Ukraine decried dispatching thousands of children to Russia during the 16-month-old conflict. However, Moscow rejects allegations of mass deportations. A recent United Nations report accused Russia of detaining more than 800 civilians, including children.
Cardinal Zuppi had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Ukrainian religious leaders in Kyiv earlier this month. Meanwhile, the French Catholic newspaper La Croix reported that he was expected to meet Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, while in Moscow.
The Head of the Italian Bishops Conference, Cardinal Zuppi, traveled to Moscow as an envoy of Pope Francis, aiming to support humanitarian gestures that can help to bring peace in war-torn Ukraine.
Meanwhile, as of June 18, 2023, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had confirmed a total of 9,083 civilian deaths as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.