Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Saturday that while the U.S. appreciates Pope Leo XIV's offer to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the Vatican is not likely to help broker a peace deal in Eastern Europe.

When asked if he intended to discuss the over three-year-long war during his meeting with Italian officials, Rubio said "Yes."

"Yes, and we thank the Holy See for its willingness to be involved in this process," the secretary added. "Obviously there are a number of countries that have offered that as well, but we think it would be — we’ll talk about that, the status of the talks, the updates after yesterday, and the path forward."

A top Catholic official earlier this week told negotiators they were free to use the Vatican to continue brokering a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, saying "it is an availability of place." The offer came after Russian President Vladimir Putin

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