The Vatican is being considered as a platform for negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but the Kremlin is against it - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
Western leaders see the Vatican as a place for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. However, the Kremlin insists on Istanbul and accuses Ukraine of delaying the peace process.
US and European leaders are hoping that the Vatican will involve Russia and Ukraine in peace talks, but the Kremlin is not interested in changing the venue and expects technical-level talks to resume in Istanbul. This reports Bloomberg with reference to sources, reports UNN.
Details
According to sources familiar with the situation, Russian officials are not planning to go to the Vatican or anywhere else for negotiations, and instead they are focused on technical-level negotiations that began in Istanbul last week. The Kremlin expects these negotiations to resume in Istanbul.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that there are "no agreements" to hold the next round of talks in the Vatican.
Nevertheless, as Bloomberg writes, European officials say that discussions are underway on the role of the Vatican as a potential host or mediator of negotiations. The talks could take place as early as next week, although this depends on Russia's willingness to participate.
According to sources, US officials are in contact with Ukrainians to ensure that negotiations take place. They are also signaling to their Russian counterparts that they would prefer to avoid the participation of hard-liners such as Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Moscow delegation in Istanbul.
Political consultant Sergei Markov, who is closely associated with the Kremlin, said that Vladimir Putin will not travel to Italy, a NATO member, due to security concerns, and Russia does not consider the Vatican neutral in the conflict.
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The situation is further complicated by the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, headed by Patriarch Kirill, who is an active supporter of Putin and the war in Ukraine. The meeting between Kirill and Pope Francis in Cuba in 2016 was the first meeting between the leaders of the Roman Catholic faith and the Russian Church since the Great Schism of 1054, which divided Eastern and Western Christianity over theological differences.
Sources note that the Russian Church opposes the Vatican's participation in peace talks, considering it a historical rival in Ukraine, which also did not criticize the authorities' closure of churches loyal to Moscow.
Italy is a signatory to the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023 for war crimes in Ukraine. At least in principle, it would be obliged to arrest him if he came to Rome.
As Bloomberg writes, even if all these obstacles were overcome, the negotiations are far from reaching an agreement that would require a high-level meeting involving Trump, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign an agreement to end the war.
People close to the Kremlin claim that Russia considers Turkey the best place to continue negotiations on a memorandum outlining the terms of a peace agreement that Putin discussed with Trump during their phone conversation.
The choice of Turkey and representatives of the interrupted negotiations in 2022 is seen as a signal from Russia that it is "returning to the starting point" in the negotiations, a senior European official said.
Zelensky and European countries have accused Putin of slowing down the peace process in order to buy time to intensify his military offensive in Ukraine.
Addition
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine is working to ensure that a technical meeting with the Russians takes place as soon as possible, because the Ukrainian interest is not to prolong the war, but to be prepared for any development of the situation. It is obvious to the world that Russia is to blame for the war still going on. Ukraine is ready for the fastest possible steps.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated that technical-level negotiations on a ceasefire in Ukraine could take place in the Vatican next week.
Pope Leo XIV confirmed the Vatican's readiness to host the next round of negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. The Italian Prime Minister expressed gratitude for his commitment to peace.
