Vatican poised for key Ukraine-Russia peace talks
Finnish President Alexander Stubb announced on Wednesday that technical discussions between Ukraine and Russia are likely to begin next week. He suggested the Vatican as a possible meeting place.
The day before, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni revealed that in a phone conversation with Pope Leon XIV, she received assurance that the Apostolic See is ready to offer its territory for peace negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine.
A step towards "highest-level" talks
Stubb referred to this initiative during his speech at the Confederation of Finnish Industries meeting in Helsinki, describing it as a step towards the "highest possible level" of talks.
The Finnish president also mentioned the Monday phone call in which U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participated. Earlier, Trump had a conversation with Vladimir Putin.
Does Trump want to withdraw from mediation?
According to media reports, during the teleconference with European leaders, Trump suggested that the United States might withdraw from its role as mediator and leave further negotiations to Russia and Ukraine.
Alexander Stubb firmly emphasized that the U.S. has not abandoned its role as a mediator. As he noted, more parties are now involved in the process.
"There are now more mediators: previously, only the US played that role, but now Europe is also involved," he said.
