Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Italy, a NATO member state, for security reasons, as well as because Russia does not consider the Vatican to be a neutral party in the conflict with Ukraine, Russian officials say, Bloomberg reports.

In addition, the Vatican's participation in the talks arouses skepticism among the Russian Orthodox Church, which views the Holy See as a historical rival in Ukraine, DW reports.

Moscow is more interested in Turkey as a platform for discussing the terms of a future peace agreement. But the Russian foreign ministry does not rule out holding the next round of talks with Ukraine in the Vatican, reports Izvestia daily.