The Pope's response to Russia's refusal to negotiate in the Vatican

The Vatican is in favor of early negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, no matter where. This was announced by the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, reports Vatican News .

The cardinal was asked to comment on Moscow's refusal to hold talks in the Vatican, as proposed by the Pope Leo XIV .

"It is really important that these talks finally start, because the war needs to be stopped immediately. First of all, a ceasefire is urgently needed to put an end to the destruction, the destruction of cities, and the deaths of civilians. And then it is urgent to achieve a stable, just and lasting peace that will be accepted and agreed upon by both sides," he said .

Parolin emphasized that Leo XIV stated that the Holy See was fully prepared to accept possible negotiations, offering a "neutral, protected place." At the same time, it is only a place for negotiations, not the mediation of the pontiff, since "mediation must be requested by the parties.".

"There are also talks about other possible locations, such as Geneva. In any case, it doesn't matter where the talks we all want to see take place. What is really important is that they finally begin," the head of Vatican diplomacy concluded .

• on May 16, 2025, trilateral talks between the delegations of Ukraine, the United States, and Turkey took place in Istanbul.
• On the same day, a meeting of the delegations of Ukraine and Russia with the participation of Turkey took place. These are the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022..
• On May 16, amid the "failed" talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, Pope Leo XIV suggested the Vatican as a negotiation platform for the next meeting between the two countries.
• Recently, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said that Ukraine still considers the Vatican as a platform for negotiations with Russia. At the same time, his Russian "colleague" Sergei Lavrov indirectly rejected this possibility, saying that it is "inelegant" to hold talks in the Vatican. He later said that Moscow is considering Turkey for the next round of talks.