Aggressor state russia does not see the Vatican as a serious platform for peace talks with Ukraine, as the Holy See is the center of Catholicism and is surrounded by Italy, a member of NATO and the EU.
It was reported by Reuters, citing three senior russian sources.
“The Vatican definitely is not seen in Russia as a serious force capable of resolving such a complex conflict,” said a senior russian source familiar with the opinion of the kremlin’s top leadership, on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Among the reasons cited by the three sources is the fact that both russia and Ukraine are predominantly Orthodox countries, as well as the fact that the Vatican is surrounded by NATO member Italy, which supports Ukraine and has repeatedly imposed sanctions against russia.
Russian sources stressed that it would be very difficult for most russian officials to even reach the Vatican from moscow, as direct flights were canceled after the war began on February 24, 2022, and there are numerous European Union sanctions against russian officials.
In addition, one russian official sarcastically noted that the only place better than the Vatican could be The Hague, the location of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for putin on war crimes charges.
Also, the foreign minister of the aggressor state, russia, Sergei Lavrov, said on Friday that the idea of the Vatican as a potential arena for peace talks was “somewhat inelegant,” given that russia and Ukraine are Eastern Orthodox countries.
Russian sources said they were considering Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman as potentially suitable venues for talks. Putin has repeatedly praised the Gulf Arab states and Turkey for their attempts to mediate in ending the war.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Pope Leo XIV expressed his readiness to host another round of peace talks between Ukraine and russia at the Vatican.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no concrete agreement on further meetings with Ukraine, days after US President Donald Trump said they would begin ceasefire talks "immediately."
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