Moscow (agencies)
Yesterday, the Kremlin welcomed the efforts of the Vatican in search of a settlement to the conflict in Ukraine, during a visit by a delegate from Pope Francis who will meet with an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Pope’s envoy for Ukraine, the Italian Cardinal Matteo Zubi, who arrived yesterday evening in Moscow, will hold talks with the Kremlin’s diplomatic adviser, Yuri Ushakov.
“They will discuss the conflict in Ukraine and the prospects for a peaceful settlement,” he said, adding that the Kremlin “highly appreciates the Vatican’s efforts and initiatives in search of a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian crisis.” It is the first visit by a senior official from the Vatican to Moscow since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis in February 2022. The delegate will also attend a Catholic mass this evening in the Russian capital, according to the Moscow Diocese.
Some Russian media reported the possibility of a meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, without obtaining confirmation.
The Vatican declared that the main objective of the visit of the Cardinal belonging to the Community of Sant’Egidio, which functions as the unofficial diplomatic channel for the Holy See, is to “encourage humanitarian initiatives that may help push for a solution to the current tragic situation, and to find the possibility of reaching a just peace.” Cardinal Zubi had previously visited Kiev on the fifth and sixth of June.
In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that he would not accept any peace proposal that turns the Russian crisis in his country into a frozen conflict.
Zelensky’s remarks, in a speech to parliament on Ukraine’s Constitution Day, indicated that he remains opposed to any peace plan that preserves the gains Russia has made on the ground since the crisis began in February 2022.
“Ukraine will not agree to any form of frozen conflict,” he said.
Zelensky put forward a 10-point peace formula that includes the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian forces, and the restoration of the borders of the Ukrainian state. Zelensky asked the Vatican to support his peace plan, which calls for the withdrawal of all Russian forces and the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders.
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