The location of the second round of talks between Ukraine and Russia will be determined after the exchange of prisoners of war in the "1000 for 1000" format, Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff of Volodymyr Zelensky, said, TASS reported.
Earlier, "The Wall Street Journal" reported, citing sources, that a new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine could be held in the Vatican in mid-June. In turn, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that technical talks between Moscow and Kiev could be held in the Vatican next week.
"The agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war in the "1000 for 1000" format should be the first step", Yermak wrote on Telegram after a conversation with representatives of the Northern European and Baltic leaders. According to him, the second step is "choosing a place for the next meeting with the Russian negotiating team".
Yesterday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is working on the implementation of the agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war with Kiev, reached at the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul on May 16. The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, announced that such an exchange will take place in the near future.
Regarding the possibility of organizing interaction between Moscow and Kiev in the Vatican, Peskov indicated that at this point the place for the negotiations has not yet been determined. After a conversation on Monday between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, it became clear that the Holy Father had expressed interest in hosting talks between Kiev and Moscow, but the Vatican did not immediately confirm such an offer.
Last week, Pope Leo said that the Vatican could act as a mediator in global conflicts, without specifically mentioning Ukraine and Russia.