Vatican dismissed: Russia eyes Turkey for Ukraine peace talks

• Sergey Lavrov believes that the Vatican is not a suitable place for peace talks.
• Russia is preparing for another round of negotiations with Ukraine.
• Moscow maintains its previous demands on Ukraine.

Sergey Lavrov, the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed his reservations regarding organising peace talks in the Vatican. “Imagine the Vatican as a place for talks. Well, I would say that it's a bit inelegant for Orthodox countries to discuss issues on Catholic soil related to eliminating the root causes (of the war),” said Lavrov, quoted by the Polish Press Agency.

Lavrov indicated that Russia is preparing for another round of talks with Ukraine, although he did not disclose where and when they would take place. He added that work on a memorandum concerning future negotiations is already at an "advanced level." Russia continues to uphold its stance that it will not allow Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine to remain under the rule of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Lavrov's statements indicate that Russia is not changing its demands on Ukraine, which have been in place since the beginning of the invasion. Moscow accuses Kyiv of discriminating against Russian-speaking individuals, which Ukraine strongly denies. The Reuters agency emphasises that Russia will continue to maintain the same demands during future peace talks.

According to Bloomberg, the Kremlin is not interested in involving the Vatican in peace talks with Ukraine. Russia believes that Turkey is the best place for further negotiations. This stance highlights that Moscow does not see the Vatican as a neutral player in this conflict.

Although the details of future talks remain unknown, Russia seems determined to continue negotiations on its terms. The choice of location and format of talks will be crucial for the further course of the conflict.