Russian President Vladimir Putin was late for his meeting with Pope Francis on Wednesday because of protracted talks in Milan and busy traffic, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, TASS reports.
“It is true that the visit to the Pontiff took place a bit later than scheduled,” he said. “It was due to the fact that the talks [between the Russian president and the Italian prime minister] in Milan lasted longer than planned; in addition to that the presidential motorcade moved a bit slowly on the streets of Milan and Rome,” Peskov explained adding that the Vatican had been duly informed of the delays all through the route.
