On Wednesday, Pope Francis announced the need to find creative solutions to end hostilities in Ukraine, the press service of the Holy See reported.

"Where are you sailing, Europe, if you are not showing the world paths of peace, creative ways for bringing an end to the war in Ukraine and to the many conflicts causing so much bloodshed?” the pontiff said during his visit to Portugal.

He added that he has concerns that “in many places funds continue to be invested in arms rather than in the future of the young."

The Pope also touched on the topic of illegal immigration, asking Europe and the West the question where they are heading, rejecting the elderly, erecting walls of barbed wire, with a huge number of dead at sea, with empty cradles.

In July, the Pope's envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, visited Washington and held a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, during which they discussed the situation in Ukraine.

Earlier this year, Zuppi already visited Kyiv and Moscow. After the cardinal's visit to Russia, the Vatican said that the pontiff had familiarized himself with the results of the trip and was considering further initiatives on Ukraine.