Catholic leader gifts Vladimir Putin with “angel of peace” medallion

Pope Francis was reported to have spent most of an hour-long meeting with Russian President, Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night discussing the current crisis in Ukraine.

The Pontiff then called for a “sincere and great effort to achieve peace” in the region.

According to The Guardian, the meeting for which the Russian president was more than an hour late – as he has been in other meetings with world leaders – included an exchange of gifts, with the pope giving Putin a medallion of an “angel of peace”.

Pope Francis had given a similar gift to  Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas which had stirred controversy.

The Vatican said in a statement that both Pope Francis and Putin agreed on the need to “restore a climate of dialogue” and that Russia and Ukraine should implement a peace plan negotiated in Minsk.

“The Holy Father affirmed that it is necessary to make a sincere and great effort to forge peace,” the Vatican said.