Russian Ambassador to the Vatican Ivan Soltanovsky stated this in an interview with TASS.
According to him, after the start of the SVO, a proposal was received from the Pope to mediate in establishing a dialogue with the Ukrainian side.
Subsequently, as the diplomat noted, it was voiced several times.
“The real obstacle is the denial of the need for negotiations both on the part of the Ukrainian authorities... and on the part of the collective West...,” Soltanovsky said.
Earlier, Soltanovsky said that Russia welcomes the Vatican’s ideas for peace in Ukraine.
It was also reported that Russia is ready to receive the Pope's envoy to Ukraine.