MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. The goals of the special military operation in the current situation can only be achieved by military means, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Tuesday.

"We must achieve our goals. Now this is possible only by military means, as long as the Kiev authorities’ stance remains unchanged," Peskov stressed.

Asked by TASS to comment on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s statement that the Vatican was the most suitable place for negotiating a settlement in Ukraine, Peskov said: "We know that many states have exerted mediation efforts in a bid to resolve this conflict. We did hear such statements from The Vatican as well."

"We highly appreciate the efforts of those countries which have already exerted considerable efforts to put the solution to this conflict on a peace track, but for now this is impossible. Currently this conflict is being resolved by military means," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Earlier, in December 2022, The Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said in response to a TASS question that the Holy See was ready to become a venue for negotiations on a peace settlement in Ukraine. At the same time, he expressed the opinion that the dialogue should begin without preconditions.