ROME, August 20. /TASS/. The European Union is doing too little to settle the Ukrainian conflict, papal peace envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi said in an interview with the Il Sussidiario.net portal.

"The European Union is doing too little whereas it should do much more. It must do its best to promote peace initiatives, following Pope Francis’ call for constructive peace," he said. "The task of the mission Pope Francis is talking about is to help everything that can promote peace."

Pope Francis confirmed earlier that Cardinal Zuppi, who had visited Kiev, Moscow, and Washington on his peace mission, would go to Beijing. His mission is centered round humanitarian aspects. Kiev has turned down the Vatican’s role in the settlement efforts but asked the Holy See to help return prisoners of war and Ukrainian children, who were evacuated to Russia from zones of hostilities. Cardinal Zuppi said earlier that efforts were being made to elaborate mechanisms for exchange of relevant lists. He discussed these matters first in Kiev and then in Moscow, where he met with Russian presidential foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov, children’s rights ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova, and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, when he visited Moscow in late June.