Putin asks Italy to help restoring ties with EU, meets Pope

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Thursday for help in improving relations between the European Union and Russia and stop sanctions on Moscow.

After meeting with Conte as part of a one-day visit to Rome, Putin said he hopes Italy will explain to the EU the damage that has been caused by economic sanctions imposed by the EU and the U.S. after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014.

"European nations missed the chance to sell billions worth of goods on the Russian market," Putin said at a joint news conference with Conte. "This means losses for all of us."
It said they also discussed "the ecological question and various themes relating to current international affairs, with particular reference to Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela."
The Vatican said the aim is to lend support "in the delicate situation in which Ukraine finds itself."