Russia’s ambassador to the Vatican, Ivan Soltanovsky, announced that Moscow is open to holding separate consultations at the Vatican on international issues, including Ukraine, but is not seeking to use it as a platform for negotiations.
Soltanovsky told TASS that this issue might be raised during upcoming talks in Moscow with the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
He explained that the Vatican's efforts to help reach a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Ukraine have not stopped, noting that the Vatican's initiatives are met with understanding and respect in Moscow.
He added that using the Vatican as a platform for negotiations faces "objective logistical and political difficulties," explaining that organizing such contacts would require interaction with a number of countries that are not friendly to Russia, "not all of which are interested in achieving peace as soon as possible."
Soltanovsky stressed that the question of where the negotiations should take place is not a priority, arguing that the problem lies in Kyiv's "unwillingness to engage in peaceful negotiations" and its belief that continuing hostilities and Western assistance can change the situation in its favor.
He pointed out that Russia supports a peaceful settlement and has been seeking since the beginning of the conflict to eliminate its root causes through negotiations, noting that there are points of convergence with the Vatican in this regard.
In a related context, Soltanovsky said that a visit by Pope Leo XIV to Russia is not currently on the table, explaining that this issue "is not on the agenda."
He also stressed that the Vatican maintains open communication with Russia and does not support the approach of isolating it politically and diplomatically, noting that Moscow "appreciates this".
The ambassador noted that a number of joint projects between the two sides are currently on hold for objective and subjective reasons, but the level of interaction between Russia and the Vatican "remains very high".
He added that the telephone call that took place last year between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Leo XIV largely determined the nature of the current stage of Russian-Vatican relations, and confirmed the Pope's readiness to continue the dialogue with Moscow.
According to the ambassador, there are currently no new high-level contacts scheduled between the two sides.
Gallagher is scheduled to visit Russia on a working visit from August 24 to 28, in the first visit by a senior official of the Roman Catholic Church to Russia since the start of the special military operation.
The Vatican had offered to provide a platform for negotiations between the parties, along with the possibility of mediation to reach a peaceful settlement, while Kyiv rejected the mediation offer from the beginning.
