Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today that Moscow side is ready to discuss the crisis in Ukraine with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the papal envoy for the Ukrainian settlement and the president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. TASS reports that Lavrov’s comments were made at a roundtable organized by the Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Academy, titled “The Ukrainian Crisis: Mediation and Humanitarian Initiatives.” His remarks are posted to the Ministry website.
TASS quoted Lavrov as saying: “The Vatican is continuing its efforts. The papal envoy will come back [to Russia] soon. We are ready to meet with anyone, we are ready to talk with anyone.”
Lavrov also declared that Russia has held meetings on Ukraine with representatives of Türkiye, “who also have different ideas.” “We appreciate the non-public efforts of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, first of all, in organizing the exchange of prisoners of war,” he said.
