NEW YORK, May 23. /TASS/. The second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine may take place next week, Bloomberg reported, citing EU diplomats.
According to the news agency, the Vatican is being discussed as a potential venue for the talks. However, European officials say there are no clear agreements on the venue of the meeting between the delegations.
US representatives are in contact with the Ukrainian side to prepare for the next round of negotiations with Russia. Bloomberg's sources also said that Washington is signaling to Moscow that it would prefer not to participate in a new meeting with Russian representatives who have taken a tough negotiating stance against Kiev.
According to Bloomberg, Russia considers Istanbul the optimal venue for continuing negotiations.
On May 22, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that no agreements had been reached yet regarding the venue of the next round of talks on Ukraine. Prior to that, The Wall Street Journal quoted sources saying that a new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine might take place at the Vatican in mid-June. According to the newspaper, a US delegation consisting of US Secretary of State and acting national security adviser Marco Rubio and special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg will also attend the talks.
Earlier, Pope Leo XIV declared his readiness to contribute to the peace process in Ukraine, including by offering Vatican territory as a venue for negotiations. US President Donald Trump welcomed such an initiative.
On May 16, talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul. On May 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump spoke on the phone for more than two hours. They primarily discussed ways to overcome the conflict in Ukraine during the conversation. Afterwards, Trump spoke with several European leaders and Vladimir Zelensky.