Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Paul Richard Gallagher arrived in Moscow on Sunday for a diplomatic mission lasting through Aug. 28, marking the first visit by a Holy See foreign minister to Russia since November 2021, before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Gallagher is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday and hold talks with Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to the Russian president, on Tuesday. He will also meet Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, a senior Russian Orthodox Church official.
The visit comes under Pope Leo XIV, who was elected in May 2025, as the Holy See continues its diplomatic engagement amid the ongoing conflict.