Kremlin’s spokesman explains why Putin was 1 hour late to see Pope Francis

President Vladimir Putin showed up one hour late for his meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday. His press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, explained that Putin’s previous meeting in Milan with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi went longer than expected, and that Putin’s entourage had trouble on the roads afterwards.

“During the entire trip, of course, these delays were communicated and cleared with the Vatican,” Peskov said.

Putin met with Pope Francis on the evening of June 10. The meeting lasted for about an hour. The Russian president and the Pope discussed the conflicts in Ukraine and in the Middle East. The Vatican said in a statement that they agreed on the need to “restore a climate of dialogue” and to implement the Minsk II agreement in Ukraine.

“It’s true, the visit to the Pope took place a little later than planned,” Peskov said.

This marks the second meeting between Putin and Pope Francis. The men first got acquainted in November 2013. Putin arrived late to that meeting as well, and it was cut down to half the allocated time.

Putin is known for coming late to meetings with world leaders. In 2012, for example, he arrived four hours late to a meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. He was also 13 minutes late to see Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ken Hackett, the US ambassador to the Vatican, criticized Russia’s role in the Ukraine conflict and asserted that Russia had sent troops to Ukraine. Peskov said Hackett’s statements were an “unacceptable” attempt to challenge the sovereignty of other countries.

Putin enjoyed a warm welcome in Italy. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said that implementing the Minsk II agreement would end sanctions, which have harmed Italian companies wanting to work with Russia. Putin is expected to end his trip with a visit to his old friend, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.