Zelensky meets with Pope Francis during his tour promoting a 'victory plan' amid war with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Pope Francis on Friday during his European tour where he is touting a "victory plan" for Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia. 

=Francis and Zelensky met privately and talked for 45 minutes, according to The Associated Press. 

The two leaders met at the Sala della Biblioteca. During a presentation at the Ukrainian delegation, the pope gave Zelensky a plaque that had “Peace is a fragile flower" inscribed. 

Zelensky then gave the pope an oil painting that showed “The massacre of Bucha. The story of Marichka.”

Bucha is in Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv and was occupied by Russian troops shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. 

“The discussions were dedicated to the state of the war and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, as well as the ways in which it could be brought to an end, leading to just and stable peace in the country," the Vatican said in a statement. 

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since 2022 and the U.S. and other western countries have been supporting Ukraine financially.