Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday, the 23rd of May, questioned the Vatican as a potential venue for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, saying that the Holy See itself would be uncomfortable hosting two mainly Orthodox countries, reports Reuters.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV had confirmed his readiness to hold talks in a telephone conversation with her.
Lavrov, speaking at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow on Friday, played down the idea of the Vatican as the next venue for talks, and the Kremlin said no agreement had yet been reached on where a new round of talks could take place.
“MANY PEOPLE FANTASISE ABOUT WHEN AND WHERE IT (THE MEETING) WILL TAKE PLACE. WE DON’T HAVE ANY IDEAS AT THE MOMENT,” LAVROV SAID.
“But imagine the Vatican as a venue for the talks. It would be a bit inelegant if Orthodox countries used a Catholic platform to discuss how to tackle the root causes (of the conflict).”
“I think the Vatican itself would not be very comfortable hosting delegations from two Orthodox countries in such circumstances,” Lavrov added.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held their first direct talks in more than three years in Istanbul earlier this month.
Lavrov also said that Moscow would not allow what he called a “junta” led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to continue to rule Russian-speakers in Ukraine.
If Russia allowed this, it would be a “crime”, he said, adding that the easiest way to resolve the conflict would be for the international community to demand that Ukraine repeal laws which, in his view, discriminate against Russian speakers.
Kyiv denies such discrimination.
Lavrov reiterated Russia’s earlier idea that it would be good if Ukraine held presidential elections so that Moscow could sign a possible peace agreement with someone the public considers legitimate.
Zelenskyy has called claims that he is not fit to lead the country Russian propaganda. The elections did not take place because when his term expired in May 2024, Ukraine was (and still is) under martial law, which temporarily suspends the holding of elections.
He and his Western allies argue that it is right to suspend the established political order in times of war, and say that Russia has no right to criticise, given its strict political system.