Artem Studennikov praised Cardinal Matteo Zuppi's commitment and the Vatican's position on the conflict in Ukraine
Russia assesses the Vatican’s position as “constructive” and intends to continue dialog with the Holy See on Ukraine. This was stated to RIA Novosti by Artem Studennikov, director of the First European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“From the very beginning, the Vatican has always maintained an equidistant and balanced line on the conflict in Ukraine, calling for its peaceful resolution and declaring its readiness to contribute to this in any way possible,” Studennikov said, emphasizing that this approach is “constructive” and in sharp contrast “to the West’s stated goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, its constant supply of increasingly lethal weapons to Ukraine, and its policy of prolonging the conflict.”
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (pictured above) deserves special recognition for flying to Moscow twice, in June 2023 and October 2024, achieving “concrete results in Russian-Vatican cooperation on humanitarian aspects.”
Reiterating that Russia “remains open to constructive dialog,” Studennikov concluded that “it is important for the Holy See to demonstrate not only in words but also in deeds its firm commitment to a peaceful solution.”