Russia dismisses Vatican as peace talk venue amid sanctions
The Kremlin authorities are not keen on the idea of holding peace talks in the Vatican. Sergey Lavrov argued that this reluctance stems from Russia's Orthodox roots. However, it now appears that the actual reason might be more mundane.
"The Pope intends to make the Vatican, the Holy See, available for a direct meeting between the two sides," announced the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Donald Trump, after talks with Putin, suggested that the Vatican could play a key role in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
The Russians are not as enthusiastic about Leo XIV's idea. "It would be a bit inelegant for Orthodox countries to use a Catholic platform to discuss issues on how to remove the root causes [of the war in Ukraine]," stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Russia rejects the Vatican. Sanctions are one of the reasons
According to Reuters, Russia also rejects the Vatican due to EU sanctions that prohibit many Kremlin representatives from entering the European Union.
The agency notes that although the Vatican itself is not an EU member, it is surrounded by Italy, which cannot be bypassed when heading to the state governed by the Pope. For this reason, simply reaching the potential peace talks location could prove difficult for a Russian delegation.
Italy is a NATO member, supports Ukraine, and has repeatedly imposed sanctions against Russia.
Furthermore, according to one of Reuters' sources, the Vatican is not viewed in Russia as a serious force capable of resolving the conflict with Ukraine.
