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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed the opinion that the choice of the Vatican as a platform for possible talks between Russia and Ukraine is “a bit inelegant”. He said this on 23 May 2025 at a high-level conference on the historic southern Russian lands, TASS reports.
Lavrov stressed that the two Orthodox countries would have to discuss issues, including those related to the situation of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, on Catholic territory. “Imagine the Vatican as a venue for negotiations – it’s a bit inelegant, I would say, when Orthodox countries discuss issues related to eliminating the root causes [of the Ukrainian conflict] on a Catholic platform,” the minister said. He added that one of these root causes is Kyiv’s policy, which, according to him, is aimed at destroying the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The head of Russian diplomacy also pointed out the inconvenience of this situation for the Vatican itself, given the current situation around Orthodoxy in Ukraine and the actions of the Greek Catholic Church, which, in his opinion, actively supports the current Ukrainian regime that was established after the coup d’état.
Lavrov recalled the creation of an alternative church in Ukraine at the initiative of former President Petro Poroshenko, which he claims is famous for its “outrages” against Ukrainian priests, churches and shrines. The minister suggested that efforts should not be wasted on working out “unrealistic” options, such as holding talks in the Vatican.
“I think the Vatican itself will not be very comfortable in these conditions to receive delegations from two Orthodox countries,” Lavrov concluded.
Source: eadaily.com
