VATICAN, September 24. /TASS/. The Vatican calls for a complete ban on nuclear weapons and is concerned about Western conjecture regarding escalation involving their use, Russian Ambassador to the Vatican Ivan Soltanovsky told TASS.

"The Holy See is deeply concerned about the narrative of escalation, up to a third world war involving nuclear weapons, which is being speculated in the West. The Vatican stands for a complete ban on nuclear weapons," the diplomat stated.

He added that the Vatican should not be "unequivocally associated with the 'collective West.'"

"The Holy See positions itself as a 'global factor.' On issues of war and peace, the Vatican consistently advocates for peace. The question is how to achieve it. Sometimes the initiatives of the Vatican may seem somewhat illusory, but they are manifestations of goodwill, and this line remains unchanged — [it was followed] both under the previous and the current Pope," the ambassador noted.