Kremlin rejects Vatican as peace talks venue for 2 reasons – Reuters
Photo: The Vatican is not a suitable place for Russia to negotiate for two reasons (Getty Images)
Russia is against the Catholic Vatican as a venue for peace talks with Ukraine. The Kremlin suggests Türkiye and the Persian Gulf countries, Reuters reports.
According to the agency's sources, one of the reasons is that the Holy See is the seat of Catholicism and is surrounded by Italy, a NATO and EU member.
The sources also noted that many Russian officials cannot even fly there because of Western restrictions.
One Russian official sarcastically remarked that the only venue that would be better than the Vatican would be The Hague, the seat of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes.
"The Vatican definitely is not seen in Russia as a serious force capable of resolving such a complex conflict," said one senior Russian source familiar with the Kremlin's position at the highest level, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Russian sources emphasized that it would be very difficult for most high-ranking Russian officials to even get to the Vatican from Moscow, as direct flights were canceled after the war began on February 24, 2022, and Russian officials are subject to multiple EU sanctions.
Russian sources have said that they are considering Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman as potentially suitable venues for talks.
The Vatican's idea
The Vatican has remained silent so far in response to the idea, expressed by US President Donald Trump after his conversation with Vladimir Putin, that Leo XIV could hold talks aimed at ending the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said last week that Leo XIV, the first US-born pontiff, confirmed his willingness to hold talks during a phone call with her.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the idea of the Vatican as a potential arena for peace talks is a bit inelegant, given that Russia and Ukraine are both Eastern Orthodox countries.
The first round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in May in Istanbul. Before that, the United States held talks with Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia.
