Russia opposes holding bilateral talks with Ukraine in the Vatican

Russia opposes the idea of holding the next stage of peace talks with Ukraine in the Vatican. According to the Russian side, the Vatican is not a neutral state in the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war. In addition, this decision was made, in particular, because of the difficult relations between the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. This was reported by Bloomberg.

According to sources, Moscow is focused on the technical negotiations that have already begun in Istanbul, and it is there that the dialogue is expected to continue. Russian President’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there are no agreements on talks in the Vatican yet. However, European leaders continue to discuss the potential role of the Holy See as a neutral mediator, and the possibility of negotiations next week will depend on Russia’s willingness to join.

In addition, according to the newspaper, the situation is complicated by tensions between the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. Patriarch Kirill allegedly openly opposes the role of the Vatican. Although the meeting between Pope Francis and Kirill in 2016 was historic-the first since the Great Schism of 1054-the Russian Orthodox Church is now criticizing the Vatican and accusing it of being passive in its persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine could take place in the Vatican. The head of the White House is convinced that both Russia and Ukraine are interested in ending the war.