Vatican Ready To Host Ukraine War Negotiations, Geneva Could Be An Alternative

The impact of Russian missile and drone attacks in Ukraine. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

JAKARTA - The Vatican on Tuesday again offered to host peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but Russia was not willing to attend, according to the United States Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.

Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin reiterated the offer made by Pope Leo XIV to hold meetings between warring countries in "neutral and protected places."

At the same time, according to a report by Italian news agency ANSA, Cardinal Parolin explained the Vatican did not immediately see itself as a mediator in the negotiations, and that any mediation "should be requested by the parties."

Then, Cardinal Parolin pointed out other locations such as Geneva, Switzerland are also being discussed.

"It is not important where negotiations between Russia and Ukraine - the negotiations we all hope for - will take place. What is really important is that these negotiations eventually begin, because it is urgent to stop the war," he said, quoted by the Daily Sabah.

So far, there has been no date for new negotiations, although it has been expected that there will be a meeting at the Vatican in mid-June.

During the war, which has now lasted for more than three years, the Holy Throne under the late Pope Francis has repeatedly tried to mediate, but not much has worked.

Separately, in Tuesday's interview on the Fox News Channel, Kellogg said Russia did not want to go to the Vatican.

"We want to hold it at the Vatican and we are quite ready to do something like that, but Russia doesn't want to go there, to the Vatican, so I think Geneva may be the next stop," explains Kellogg.

Last week, US President Donald Trump after speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Vatican had expressed interest in hosting negotiations, although there was no confirmation of any scheduled negotiations.

Kellogg also said Russia had not yet conveyed a memorandum that President Putin said would work on by Moscow with Ukraine to formulate a framework for a possible peace agreement in the future.

Last Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov doubted the Vatican as a potential location for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, saying the Holy See itself would feel uncomfortable hosting two countries that are mostly Orthodox Christians.

Foreign Minister Lavrov, speaking at Moscow's Diplomatic Academy, on Friday played down the Vatican idea as the next place and the Kremlin said there was no agreement on where the new negotiations would take place.

"Many people talk about when and where (meetings) will take place. We have no ideas at this time," said Foreign Minister Lavrov.

"But imagine the Vatican as a place of negotiation. It would be rather unfavorable for Orthodox countries to use Catholic platforms to discuss issues about how to eliminate the root causes (of the conflict)," he continued.

"I don't think it would be too comfortable for the Vatican itself to accept delegations from two Orthodox countries in a situation like this," Foreign Minister Lavrov added.

It is known that Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held their first direct peace negotiations in more than three years earlier this month in Istanbul.