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A
statement said he would be there for three days but did not say
who he would be meeting.
The visit is aimed at promoting peace in Ukraine and supporting
"humanitarian initiatives to alleviate the suffering of people
who have been hit the hardest and the most fragile, in
particular children," the statement said.
Last month, Zuppi visited Moscow, where he met with the head of
Russia's influential Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, and with
Russia's Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.
Earlier in June, he visited Kyiv and met with Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy, who met the pope in May, has asked the Vatican to
back his unconditional peace plan, which calls for restoring
Ukraine's territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian
troops and cessation of hostilities, and the restoration of
Ukraine's state borders.
The Vatican statement's mention of humanitarian initiatives and
children appeared to be a reference to Kyiv's request - and the
Vatican's willingness - to help with the repatriation of
Ukrainian children.
Kyiv estimates nearly 19,500 children have been taken to Russia
or Russian-occupied Crimea since February 2022, in what it
condemns as illegal deportations.
Zuppi said earlier this month that he was working on a
"mechanism" that could ensure the return of the children.
(Additional reporting by Federica Urso; Editing by Bernadette
Baum)
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