Pope Francis considers upcoming Normandy Four meeting a positive step

Pope Francis, speaking of restoring peace in the world, cited as an example the negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in the Normandy format.
“Everything that can be done to stop arms production, to stop wars, to encourage negotiation, with the help of mediators, must always be done, and it produces results. For example, the case of Ukraine and Russia wasn’t about weapons, but about negotiating a prisoner exchange, and this was positive. In Donbas, they are thinking about planning a different governmental regime. Discussions are underway. This is a positive step," he said, according to Vatican News.

The Pope answered journalists' questions during the in-flight press conference aboard the plane bringing him back to Rome from his apostolic journey to Japan.

As reported, the next summit with the participation of the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia (the so-called Normandy Four) is to take place in Paris on December 9.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that he intended to raise at this meeting the issue of specific terms of Donbas de-occupation, the return of hostages, the resolution of the security situation, and the holding of local elections.