Pope: ‘Sincere effort’ needed on Ukraine

Pope Francis met privately yesterday with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Vatican, using the talks to call for a sincere effort aimed at bringing peace to Ukraine.

Vatican spokesman Rev Federico Lombardi said their talks concentrated on the Ukraine conflict and the Middle East, where the Holy See is worried about the fate of the Christian minority.

Putin earlier yesterday met Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi in Milan and arrived an hour late to the meeting at the Vatican — his second with Francis since he became Pope in 2013.