Head of the Office of the Presiden of Ukraine Andriy Yermak met with Pope Francis to discuss the preparations for the Peace Summit that will take place in Switzerland in mid-June.

"During a working visit to Italy, I was received by His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican. It was an important conversation, during which I informed His Holiness about the philosophy of the Peace Formula of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and explained why the Formula alone offers the path to a just peace. We also talked about preparations for the Global Peace Summit, which will take place in Switzerland," Yermak said on the Telegram channel on Saturday, June 8.

The parties paid separate attention to the issue of bringing back Ukrainian children who were illegally deported by Russia.

According to the head of the President's Office, Pope Francis expressed his support for Ukraine.

Yermak also met with Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The parties discussed the Cardinal's participation in the Global Peace Summit and the role of the Holy See in the implementation of the humanitarian points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula.

"I informed the Cardinal in detail about the approaches of the Ukrainian side to the implementation of the Summit in Switzerland and the destructive actions of the Russian Federation aimed at disrupting the event," he said.

In turn, Parolin agreed with the need to improve the mechanism for the return of Ukrainian children and prisoners or war.

Yermak noted the importance of the Cardinal's upcoming visit to Ukraine.