Moscow makes up excuse to reject Vatican as place for peace talks with Ukraine

The Vatican is not a good fit for Russia as a place for negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. It is a Catholic platform, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reports.

"Just imagine the Vatican as a place for negotiations. Well, it's a bit inelegant, I would say. When Orthodox countries will be discussing issues related to eliminating root causes on a Catholic platform," Lavrov said.

According to the Russian Foreign Minister, one of the root causes is "the course aimed at destroying the Ukrainian Orthodox Church" of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Lavrov also stated that Moscow will not allow the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine to remain under the rule of the so-called "junta" headed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Furthermore, the Russian Foreign Minister said that for Russia, it would be "a crime" to allow this to happen. He added that the simplest way to resolve the conflict would be for the international community to demand that Ukraine repeal laws that discriminate against Russian speakers.

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine

On May 19, US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, after which he stated that Moscow and Kyiv would engage in bilateral negotiations.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is already discussing with partners the possibility of holding a new round of negotiations. According to Zelenskyy, three locations are currently being considered for such a meeting: Istanbul, the Vatican, or Switzerland.

Pope Leo XIV is ready to host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, stated Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.