Zelenskyy met Pope Leo XIV and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Tuesday, meanwhile voicing his refusal to surrender territory to Moscow despite pressure from Washington for territorial concessions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Pope Leo XIV and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Tuesday as he continued rallying European support for Ukraine while resisting US pressure to make territorial concessions to Russia.
On Monday, Zelenskyy held talks in London with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the latest version of a US-proposed peace plan to end Russia's all-out invasion, now well into its fourth year.
On Monday evening, Zelenskyy met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels for dinner.
Following talks in Geneva, Moscow and Miami over the past couple of weeks, the initial 28-point peace plan presented to Kyiv by US negotiators has been revised down to 20 points, Zelenskyy said on Monday.
US and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks on Saturday aimed at narrowing differences on the Trump administration's proposal.
"We are going to work on these 20 points," Zelenskyy told an online press conference. He said the plan still contains unresolved issues around territorial control and security guarantees for Ukraine.
'That's what we are fighting for'
In a WhatsApp chat with reporters late Monday, Zelenskyy reaffirmed his firm refusal to cede any territory to Russia. "Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don't want to give up anything. That's what we are fighting for," he said.
"Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don't have such right. According to Ukraine's law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don't have a moral right either."
The Trump administration's proposal includes a demand that Ukraine surrender the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, where Russia has occupied parts of but not all of the territory. Ukraine and its European allies have firmly rejected any ceding of land.
Trump has suggested that Russia retains the "upper hand" militarily and that Putin is "fine" with the proposal. However, the Kremlin has insisted it wants all of the Donbas, not just the territory it currently occupies.
Trump has also called for Ukraine to hold presidential elections, even though martial law does not permit them.
Before heading to his 3 pm meeting with Meloni at Palazzo Chigi, Zelenskyy told Italian reporters he was "always ready for elections" in response to Trump's accusation that he was "using the war" to avoid holding them.
Asked about the Italian premier, Zelenskyy said: "I trust her, she will help us."
'We'll do what we can'
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy met Pope Leo XIV at Castel Gandolfo, a papal residence outside Rome.
The Vatican said the pontiff "reiterated the need for the continuation of dialogue and expressed his urgent desire that the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace."
The two also discussed prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
Pope Leo XIV, who has met with Zelenskyy three times and has spoken by telephone at least once with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has called for a ceasefire and urged Moscow in particular to make a gesture toward peace.
The Italian government last week postponed a decision on renewing military aid to Ukraine, with the current authorisation due to expire on 31 December.
One of Meloni's coalition partners, Matteo Salvini's Lega or League party, is more sceptical of continued support.
Rome has sent weapons to Ukraine but only for use inside the country. Meloni has also ruled out sending troops to a possible monitoring force proposed by the UK and France.
However, Meloni insisted last week that "as long as there's a war, we'll do what we can, as we've always done to help Ukraine defend itself."