"In concrete terms, in my opinion, this means that the Holy See is available for a meeting between the two parties, that the two parties meet and at least talk to each other," said Parolin in Rome on Friday morning, according to the Italian daily newspaper"La Repubblica" (online).
It is therefore more a question of making a place available. "We are ready for this," emphasised the Pope's top diplomat.
The Vatican could be a very suitable location that would guarantee the necessary discretion.
Pope wants to restore hope
During an audience last Wednesday, the new Pope emphasised that the Vatican would like to act as a mediator in wars and conflicts. The Holy See stands ready "so that enemies can meet and look each other in the eye, so that hope is restored to peoples and they are given back the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace", said Leo XIV.
Parolin sees the Vatican's role in the Middle East war differently: the Vatican is always ready to mediate, but this support can also be "good offices". "For Gaza, it seems to me that the conditions for a meeting at the level of the Holy See are not met," said the Cardinal Secretary of State.
Meanwhile, Kiev's Grand Archbishop Svyatoslav Shevchuk emphasised that a trip by Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine could bring peace to the country.
According to his Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, Shevchuk told the Pope in a private audience at the Vatican on Thursday that his compatriots are convinced "that the Pope's visit will help to end the war in Ukraine".
He considered it his duty to invite Leo XIV on behalf of the millions of Ukrainians who were waiting for him.According to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj, he had also already invited the Pope to Ukraine.
The Grand Archbishop thanked the Pope for his appeals for peace. His calls for an end to the war were extremely important. Shevchuk also recalled the five-day visit to Ukraine by Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) in 2001.
This visit was understood by the Ukrainians as a sign "that communism will never return to our country".
List of prisoners and missing persons
The head of the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine, which is affiliated with Rome, reportedly presented Leo XIV with lists of Ukrainians who are in Russian captivity or missing.
The Vatican has already assisted in the exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine on several occasions.
The Vatican published a video of Leo XIV's meeting with Shevchuk, but did not initially comment on the content of the talks.
Leo's predecessor Pope Francis (2013-2025) had already received several invitations to travel to Ukraine.
One of the reasons why the trip did not materialise was because Francis said he could only travel to Kiev if he was also invited to Moscow.
However, the latter never materialised.
John Paul II's trip in 2001 was the only papal visit to the country to date.