Pope Francis received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a private meeting at the Vatican on Friday in talks that focused mainly on the return of prisoners.

Mr Zelensky said in a post on Telegram that he asked the pope for support for children and adults imprisoned by Russia.

He then met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, and they discussed how to end the war in Ukraine and achieve a just and stable peace.

The Vatican’s chief diplomat expressed concern about the humanitarian situation there, according to the Holy See.

The Holy See said the meeting lasted half an hour and that Mr Zelensky presented the head of the Catholic Church with a painting entitled “The Bucha Massacre,” which shows a girl among the rubble.

Bucha, near Kyiv, was the scene of alleged atrocities by Russian troops shortly after Moscow’s full-scale invasion began when civilians were said to have been tortured and killed by retreating soldiers.

It is Mr Zelensky’s third visit to the Vatican.

In the course of the war launched by Russia in February 2022, Mr Francis has repeatedly reminded the public of what he calls the “martyred Ukraine.”

However, some of his comments on the war, including calls for a peace deal, have met with criticism in Kyiv.

(dpa/NAN)