Russia dismisses Vatican peace talks due to EU sanctions
The Kremlin authorities are not in favor of holding peace talks in the Vatican. Sergey Lavrov argued that the reason is Russia's Orthodox roots. However, it now appears that the real reason might be much more straightforward.
"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. After talks with Putin, Donald Trump suggested that the Vatican could play a key role in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
The Russians are less enthusiastic about this 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 as a location because of 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 traveling to the state governed by the Pope. For this reason, simply reaching the potential peace talks location could prove problematic 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 perceived in Russia as a serious force capable of resolving the conflict with Ukraine.
