Vatican newspaper hails ‘glimmers of peace’ from meeting between Trump, European leaders

August 20, 2025

In the most prominent article in its August 19 edition, L’Osservatore Romano hailed developments that emerged from the previous day’s European-White House crisis meeting.

In the article, entitled “Spiragli di pace” [Glimmers of peace], staff journalist Guglielmo Gallone wrote that “there are at least three reasons why the talks organized yesterday at the White House between the leaders of the United States, Ukraine, and Europe can be considered real glimmers of peace.”

“First, there is the most important result that US President Donald Trump himself announced yesterday to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office: Washington will play a role in ensuring Ukraine’s future security to prevent new attacks, and therefore new wars, against the country attacked by Russia,” wrote Gallone.

Gallone continued, “The talks organized yesterday at the White House thus concluded with the launch of preparations for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky—which will then be followed by a trilateral summit with Trump. This is the second reason why new glimmers of peace opened yesterday: a return to dialogue.”

“The final reason to believe there is a glimmer of hope for peace is precisely the involvement of the Old Continent, which, despite its limited appearance in Washington, was nevertheless listened to and valued by Trump,” added Gallone.

Gallone acknowledged that “there is certainly no shortage of controversy, starting with what territory could be ceded to Russia,” before he reported on continued Russian attacks on Ukraine. “And so time remains the greatest unknown factor lurking amid the glimmers of peace that opened yesterday,” he concluded.

 

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Further information:

• Spiragli di pace (L'Osservatore Romano, 8/19/25)