MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has said that he understands the need to end the conflict as soon as possible.

"I think we all understand that we need to end this war as soon as possible, of course," he said at a meeting with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Zelensky called Parolin’s visit "a strong signal from Vatican."

The Russian authorities have repeatedly declared their readiness to negotiate with Ukraine on the settlement of the conflict. At the same time, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed to the fact that the main obstacles are the impossibility of negotiations with Putin, enshrined in law by Zelensky's decree, as well as Ukrainian initiatives that prove "the complete detachment of official Kiev from modern realities."

At the same time, Putin emphasized that Zelensky's legitimacy is over, so it is important to understand "with whom it is necessary and possible to deal in order to sign legally binding documents." Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later noted that negotiations with Ukraine are possible, but their outcome must be approved by the legitimate Ukrainian authorities.

On June 14, at a meeting with the leadership of the Foreign Ministry, Putin listed the conditions for the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. These include the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbass and Kiev's refusal to join NATO. In addition, Russia considers necessary the lifting of all Western sanctions against it and the establishment of Ukraine's non-aligned and nuclear-free status. Putin pointed out that if Ukraine and the West reject these conditions, they could be changed in the future. Kiev has rejected the Russian peace plan.