AFP, ROME , Italy: Russian President Vladimir Putin used a trip to Italy on Wednesday to press his case against international sanctions and was urged by Pope Francis to make a "sincere effort" for peace in Ukraine.
After telling Italian premier Matteo Renzi that Western sanctions imposed over Russia's actions in Ukraine would cost Italian companies a billion euros, Putin spent 50 minutes chatting to the pope at the Vatican.
A Vatican statement said the pontiff had urged the Russian leader, and other parties to the Ukraine conflict, to make a "sincere effort" for peace.
"The holy father stressed that there has to be an important and sincere effort to achieve peace (in Ukraine)," the statement said. "There was agreement on the importance of rebuilding an atmosphere of dialogue and that all the parties commit to applying the Minsk (ceasefire) accords."