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Russia does not trust Vatican to host peace negotiations with Ukraine

Despite the noted differences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky favored holding the negotiations at the Holy See.

Cardinal Prevost celebrates Mass at the Vatican in the days leading up to his election.

Cardinal Prevost celebrates Mass at the Vatican in the days leading up to his election.Cordon Press.

Diane Hernández
Published by
Diane Hernández

Russia does not consider the Vatican an appropriate host for future peace negotiations that would end the war with Ukraine.

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, there are three major reasons why the Holy See is not the venue for an agreement: Italy's presence in NATO, Catholic Christianity and Western sanctions on senior Russian officials.

On Monday, Reuters published an exclusive report on the subject where it points out that the Kremlin does not see the Vatican as "a serious force capable of resolving such a complex conflict."

Silence on the future of negotiations

However, so far neither the Kremlin nor the Vatican itself has given a definite position on the possibility of holding negotiations there.

From the Russian side, several diplomats and other high-ranking officials would find it complicated to travel to the Vatican directly from Moscow as direct flights between the two states were cancelled after the start of the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

This would be one of the reasons Russia sees other countries, such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, as more suitable hosts to host hypothetical peace negotiations, according to the media.

Moreover, Lavrov commented days ago that the idea of hosting the negotiations in the Vatican is "inelegant," as well as "unrealistic," due in part to the religious differences between Orthodox Christians, the majority in both Ukraine and Russia, and Catholics, per Reuters.

Trump suffers from "emotional overload," says Russia

Russia has suggested that Donald Trump is suffering from "emotional overload" by deflecting criticism of his record drone strikes against Ukraine this weekend.

In response to the Republican's remarks about Vladimir Putin, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian leader was making "the necessary decisions to ensure his country's security."

Amid the surge in Russian attacks, Trump signaled Sunday night that Putin had "gone absolutely crazy" and was considering more sanctions against Moscow.

"Ukraine is ready for direct negotiations with Russia"

Despite the noted differences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky favored holding the negotiations at the Vatican after talks with Trump, who also sees this possibility favorably.

"Ukraine is ready for direct negotiations with Russia. Such a meeting could take place in Turkey, the Vatican, or Switzerland ... We are considering all possible hosts," the Ukrainian leader stated.

International mediation for peace

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was another of those who asserted last week that Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, would be willing to mediate another attempt to end the war in Ukraine.

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