Earlier this month, Putin said that Russia would immediately cease fire and begin negotiations with Ukraine after Kiev withdraws troops from the territory of Russia's new regions and officially abandons plans to join NATO. However, Ukraine's Zelensky rejected the proposal, slamming it as an ultimatum.
"The Ukraine issue was discussed, including the conditions for a peace settlement voiced by Russian President Putin during a meeting with key officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Soltanovsky expressed his gratitude to the pontiff for his consistently balanced and invariably peaceful stance on the matter," the embassy told reporters.
"The Vatican realizes the futility of the peace process without Russia's participation," it emphasized.
The embassy added that the Russian mission shares the Vatican's concerns about the steadily deteriorating situation in the world, and expressed its readiness to continue regular and confidential dialogue between Russia and the Holy See.
Pope Francis has on many occasions expressed readiness to travel to Russia and Ukraine to promote peace and assist efforts to end the ongoing conflict. In May 2023, the Vatican formed a peacekeeping mission on Ukraine, headed by Zuppi. In June, the cardinal traveled to both Ukraine and Russia, where he met with officials and discussed with them the Holy See's humanitarian efforts. Moscow welcomed Pope Francis' initiatives aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine, Soltanovsky told Sputnik in January.