Russia is preparing a ceasefire memorandum but has refused to hold talks in the Vatican.

Russia is set to deliver a memorandum to Ukraine outlining its proposals for settling the war. President Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine is open to any form of diplomacy that can yield real results to end the war. Currently, Ukraine is working to arrange a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. However, Kyiv prefers the talks to take place in an expanded format, including US President Donald Trump and European partners.

US and European leaders aim to involve the Vatican in peace talks, but the Kremlin has rejected this proposal. Russia wants to continue discussions in Istanbul and does not plan for Putin to visit the Vatican or any other location.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov remarked that it’s “not elegant” for Orthodox countries to meet at a Catholic site. Additionally, Italy is a member of the International Criminal Court and is required to arrest Putin. Consequently, Russia sees Turkey as the best venue to continue negotiations on the memorandum, which defines the terms of the peace agreement.

Meanwhile, Putin stated that his army is already fulfilling the task of creating a “security buffer zone” along the border with Ukraine.