Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with multiple world leaders on the sidelines of Pope Leo's inaugural mass, marking a significant diplomatic gathering aimed at addressing ongoing international issues.

A highlight of the meetings was Albanese's first face-to-face discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since 2023, where the two leaders reaffirmed Australia's commitment to military support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

During their meeting, Albanese reiterated the Australian government's support for Ukraine's efforts, stating, "The Australian government's position, that I lead, is very supportive of your struggle.

We have tanks that are on the way at the moment, which is a very positive initiative; we've provided now about 1.5 billion dollars in support." In response, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Australia’s assistance but emphasized the need for additional sanctions against Russia.

"Together we can really move this situation closer to peace, through applying pressure on Russia.

We are very thankful for sanctions; I'd also like to raise this topic with you, which is very important, to put more pressure, more sanctions on Russia," he remarked.

In a separate meeting, Albanese spoke with European Union President Ursula von der Leyen, who proposed the idea of a formal defense pact between the EU and Australia.

Von der Leyen stated, "We do not only see you as a trading partner; we also see you as a strategic partner.

We'd like to broaden this strategic partnership.

For example, we have signed defense agreements with South Korea and Japan, soon with the UK; we would be very pleased if we could build a strategic and defense partnership, too." Albanese emphasized Australia's strong economic ties with the EU, reflecting a broader goal of establishing a trade agreement with the bloc.

However, he approached the notion of strengthening defense relations with caution, mentioning to reporters that no specific details had been provided by von der Leyen.

"This was just a suggestion that Ursula von der Leyen raised; there was no detail further.

It was really just an assertion of Europe's values being consistent with Australia's values and in what ways could be explored further defense cooperation," he stated.

Albanese also engaged in discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner during the event.

Although he did not have a formal meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who was present at the inauguration, Albanese did manage to have a brief conversation with Pope Leo in St. Peter's Basilica subsequent to the mass.

Reflecting on this meeting, Albanese, who identifies as Catholic, described his interaction with the pontiff as very positive, noting, "He expressed warmth about Australia.

I told him it was a great honor for me to be there; I spoke to him about how my mother would be, is I'm sure looking down from heaven with the biggest smile she's ever had."