It's a Little Inappropriate: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov considers it unrealistic to conduct negotiations on the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis in the Vatican format.

"I want to say that intellectual capacities should not be wasted on developing options that are not very realistic. Imagine the Vatican as a venue for negotiations; it is a bit inappropriate if Orthodox countries discuss issues related to the causes of conflict on a Catholic platform. One of those causes is the separation of the Russian Orthodox Church," Lavrov stated at a high-level conference dedicated to the historical lands of southern Russia.

According to him, it would also be inconvenient for the Vatican to host a meeting between two Orthodox countries (Russia and Ukraine).

Lavrov mentioned that there will be a second round of negotiations, and a memorandum is being worked on, indicating that they are in a phase of progress. He clarified that the timeline for the negotiations has not yet been determined.

The Russian Foreign Minister noted that the issue of Vladimir Zelensky's legitimacy will be of fundamental importance at the time of signing a peace agreement with Ukraine. However, Moscow is not abandoning communication.