Russian Presidential Adviser on International Affairs Yuri Ushakov on Friday stressed the Vatican’s willingness to step up its contribution to the search for a solution to the armed conflict with Ukraine.
Ushakov met again this Friday with Pope Francis’ envoy for peace in Ukraine, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who told him that he would personally inform the pope of “impressions about the negotiations in Moscow”.
According to the Russian adviser, President Vladimir Putin will also be informed about the content of the talks held with the cardinal.
“The Cardinal and I met again today to summarize the results of his stay in Moscow, especially since the Cardinal was received by Patriarch Cyril and also by the Commissioner for the Rights of the Child, Maria Lvovo-Belova. , said Ushakov. The Russian state news agency Interfax.
The presidential adviser said there had been a “helpful exchange of views” with Francis’ envoy and considered Zuppi’s mission “an indication that the Vatican would like to step up its contribution to a possible solution to the situation in Ukraine.”
“No specific ideas were expressed. [Mas o cardeal] made clear that the Vatican sees a very logical area for its humanitarian efforts, the exchange of civilian detainees and the displacement of children. He showed a desire, which is very important, to depoliticize all humanitarian issues and expressed a sincere desire to help those in need.”underlined Ushakov.
“In principle, we support this attitude of the Pope’s representative,” stressed Ushakov, for whom Russia “appreciates the balanced and balanced position of the Vatican” on the war in Ukraine.
Putin’s adviser clarified that no specific dates have been set for new contacts and that this possibility will be analyzed after both sides briefed their respective leaders on how to continue coordinating their joint humanitarian work.
The same information is contained in a statement released this Friday by the Vatican, recalling that Zuppi was also in Kiev three weeks ago and that after his visit to Moscow he will report to Francis what steps can be followed, namely on a humanitarian level and in seeking solutions for peace.
The Vatican information note does not evaluate the results of Zuppi’s mission to Kiev and Moscow and limits itself to recalling the meetings held by the cardinal during his two-day visit to the Russian capital, stressing “the aim of identifying humanitarian initiatives that the way for the conquest of peace”.
With regard to the meetings with Ushakov and Lvova-Belova, the Holy See’s communiqué emphasizes that the talks had as a strong point the humanitarian aspect of the initiative, as well as the need to achieve peace.
The cardinal’s visit to Moscow came three weeks after Zuppi was in Kiev, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who reiterated that he would not accept any cessation of hostilities without a Russian withdrawal from his territories.
The prospects for mediation are currently scarce, according to the France-Presse news agency (AFP), as Russia insists on the one hand that it is Kiev that does not want to negotiate and on the other hand continues to reiterate that Zelensky must accept the “real situation” on the ground, including the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea peninsula in 2014 and that of four more regions in 2022: Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporijia, where the nuclear power plant of the same name, the largest in Europe, is located.
Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov recently assured in an interview that Russia will not give up on the objectives of the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
