Kremlin Denies Report of Upcoming Peace Talks With Ukraine at Vatican
The Kremlin said Thursday it had not agreed to hold peace talks with Ukraine at the Vatican, denying U.S. media reports that the city-state could soon host negotiations.
Russian and Ukrainian officials last week held their first face-to-face talks in more than three years in Istanbul, but failed to reach a ceasefire agreement.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that follow-up negotiations could begin in mid-June at the Vatican. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the report.
“There have been no agreements on this matter,” Peskov told reporters.
He also denied Finnish President Alexander Stubb’s suggestion that “technical talks” might take place at the Vatican as early as next week.
“There are no concrete agreements on future meetings. This still needs to be worked out,” Peskov said.
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, but neither that call nor the earlier talks in Istanbul prompted any shift in Russia’s position on ending its war against Ukraine.
Putin has repeatedly rejected Kyiv’s calls for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, instead proposing a vague “memorandum” outlining Moscow’s demands.
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