Meeting with Putin has to take place in a territory embodying peace and dialogue – Zelenskyi

The meeting with Putin, first, must take place in a territory that embodies peace and dialogue. Rome or the Vatican could be the best place from all points of view.

Zelenskyi stated this in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Rubryka reports.

The President said that there had been no real direct communication between Ukraine and Russia for a long time. In his opinion, the right place for an extremely complex dialogue on peace will help resolve the issue.

"The Vatican is indeed an ideal place for dialogue about peace. The Holy See is a global moral authority that always acts effectively as a mediator, as it's impartial and trusts all parties to the conflict. It is for this reason that the Apostolic Capital has often been used in history to resolve conflicts between states and build a peaceful future.

It is both authority, and sincere desire to help, and guarantees of responsibility. The Pope is a prophet of peace by vocation. In this, the Vatican differs from other world players: it remains a purely moral force and always acts with no bias, military-political or economic interests.

A mediator with such authority can provide the confidence that our attempts to negotiate lack. Of course, the meeting place should inspire confidence in both parties. Then it will be effective, and we'll really be able to speak on the merits," Zelenskyi said.

As reported by Rubryka, in an interview with the Financial Times, Zelenskyi said that the meeting's place with Putin was not as important as its content and that he would not talk to terrorists, that is, with representatives of ORDLO.

It is also known that Zelenskyi instructed the head of his office, Andrii Yermak, to negotiate with representatives of the Russian Presidential Administration about a possible meeting with President Putin.

On April 27, the head of the President's Office, Andrii Yermak, said that the date and place of the talks between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Vladimir Putin, were still unknown, but the talks would be substantial.