MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Pope Francis is ready to mediate on Ukraine, but the West is obstructing the settlement of the conflict, Ivan Soltanovsky, Russian ambassador to the Vatican, said in an interview with TASS.

"After starting the special military operation, we received a proposal from the Pope to mediate in establishing a dialogue with the Ukrainian side, which was repeatedly voiced subsequently as well. The real barrier is the denial of the need for negotiations both on the part of the Ukrainian authorities, expressed in the legal prohibition to negotiate with Russia, and on the part of the collective West, madly pumping the Kiev regime with modern weapons, thus pushing it to continue military adventures," the diplomat noted.

He emphasized that the Holy See has been "taking a neutral and balanced position" since the beginning of the crisis. We know that Pope Francis does not accept military action. We appreciate his efforts to establish a lasting and just peace," the Russian ambassador added.

As Soltanovsky explained, under the conditions of the West's destructive policy, Moscow's dialogue with the Vatican is focused on solving "specific humanitarian issues, primarily together with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Pope's special envoy." "In the opinion of the Holy See, successes on the humanitarian track are important not only in themselves, but also in terms of creating a more favorable environment for finding ways to peace and restoring at least minimal trust between the countries," he concluded.