A Russian official wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over allegations of illegally transferring Ukrainian children to Russia said Thursday she had met with a Vatican envoy.Cardinal Matteo Zuppi began his visit to Russia earlier this week, the first such trip since President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine last February."I met with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi," Russia's ombudswoman for children's rights Maria Lvova-Belova said in a statement. "We discussed humanitarian issues related to military operations and the protection of children's rights.”"I am sure that Christian love and mercy will help in dialogue and mutual understanding," she added.The Netherlands-based ICC issued arrest warrants for Lvova-Belova and Putin in March.The court said the orders were linked to war crime accusations of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.Kyiv says more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly sent to Russia since the beginning of the war, and that many were placed in foster homes.Both Lvova-Belova and the Kremlin dismissed the allegations and said that Russia does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction.Zuppi visited Kyiv earlier this month.At the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to the Italian cardinal to help secure the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and the return children sent to Russia.