The Vatican is ready to help Russia and Ukraine take the path of dialogue, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state said in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper published on Monday.

“There is still time for goodwill, there is still room for negotiation,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin said in an interview.

“The Holy See, which in recent years has followed the events in Ukraine constantly, discreetly and with great attention, offering its willingness to facilitate dialogue with Russia, is always ready to help the parties to resume that path. First of all, the military attack, the tragic consequences of which we are all already witnessing, must be stopped immediately,” Parolin said.

“The events of these last days have deeply saddened me,” Parolin said. “We must avoid any escalation, stop the war and negotiate.”

During his traditional Sunday sermon in St Peter's Square, Francis called for solidarity with the Ukrainian people through fasting and prayer on 2 March and for an end to war. On Friday, in violation of all protocol procedures, the pontiff personally walked to the Russian embassy in the Vatican, which is near the papal city-state. According to Alexander Avdeev, the Russian ambassador to the Vatican, Francis wanted to personally talk about what is happening in Donbas and Ukraine.

Parolin added that the possibility of “a new cold war with two opposing blocs” was a “very disturbing scenario” that was “exactly the opposite of the culture of fraternity Pope Francis proposes as the only path to build a just, supportive and peaceful world.”