Russia Douses Trump's Desire for Pope to Host Ukraine Talks

Russian officials are instead focused on technical-level negotiations that began in Istanbul last week

- Bloomberg

The US and European leaders are placing their hopes in the Vatican to engage Russia and Ukraine in peace talks, after US President Donald Trump said Pope Leo XIV had expressed interest in the idea. The Kremlin isn't so keen.

Russian officials have no plans for President Vladimir Putin to travel to the Vatican or anywhere else for talks now, and they're focused instead on technical-level negotiations that began in Istanbul last week, according to people with knowledge of the situation, asking not to be identified discussing internal matters. The Kremlin expects those negotiations to resume in Istanbul, one of the people said.

It's "not very realistic" for the Vatican to host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told a conference in Moscow on Friday. "It's a little awkward for Orthodox countries to discuss issues on a Catholic platform concerning the elimination of the root causes" of the conflict, he said.

Still, European officials say discussions are taking place on a role for the Vatican as a potential host or mediator of negotiations. Talks could happen as soon as next week, though it depends on Russia's readiness to attend, the people said, asking not to be identified because the issue is sensitive.