Petro Poroshenko said on the air of the Italian TV channel Sky TG24 that Pope Francis could use his international influence and authority to release Ukrainian captives and return children deported by Russia, European Solidarity reports.

"I believe that the influence of Pope Francis on the process, for example, on the release of Ukrainian hostages from Russian prisons, is possible, and this should be an important humanitarian mission," Poroshenko was quoted as saying in a European Solidarity message posted on the website on Thursday.

"Second position: it is necessary to return the Ukrainian children that Putin took from Ukraine, illegally deported children. And we really want to hear the strong voice of Pope Francis in defense of Ukrainian children in Europe," the fifth President emphasized.

As Poroshenko emphasized, the wise word of the Pope and "his authority, which can save more than 16,000 Ukrainian children, are extremely important. In this situation, we rely on Pope Francis. We definitely want to demonstrate that the whole world is now with Ukraine, and Russia is in full isolation."

As Poroshenko said, during his visit to the Vatican as President of Ukraine, he conveyed the invitation of his holiness to Pope Francis. "And we are waiting for him," he said.