Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Rome on 9 July ahead of the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference, meeting Italian President Sergio Mattarella before travelling to Castel Gandolfo for an audience with Pope Leo XIV. The Vatican said the 30-minute meeting focused on the war in Ukraine, the forced deportation of Ukrainian children and the search for a “just and lasting peace.” Leo reiterated the Holy See’s willingness to host Russian and Ukrainian delegations for direct negotiations, while Zelensky requested continued help to recover roughly 19,500 children Kyiv says were taken to Russia. Zelensky will open the 10–11 July recovery conference with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The gathering aims to mobilise private and multilateral financing for reconstruction needs that the World Bank estimates at about €500 billion, and will be attended by senior EU officials and international investors. Separately, Zelensky held what he called a “substantive” meeting with U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, discussing additional air-defence deliveries, joint weapons production and tighter sanctions on Russia’s energy sector amid a surge in Russian drone and missile strikes.