Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Wednesday that "Russia appreciates the Vatican's efforts to help resolve the Ukrainian crisis" and confirmed the arrival of a papal envoy in Moscow for peace talks. Peskov stated, "The Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs advisor will hold talks with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi at Putin's request." The Vatican indicated on Tuesday that "the main purpose of this initiative is to encourage humanitarian initiatives that may contribute to resolving the conflict."
Additionally, Peskov pointed out that "Russian leadership is discussing whether there is a need for legal changes following the armed mutiny carried out by the Wagner Group on Saturday." He noted that the emergence of "many speculations after the failed mutiny of the Wagner military group is not surprising, and there will be plenty of speculation and rumors about these events... I believe what is included in the report is merely a model." Peskov's comments were in response to a report published by The New York Times, which quoted U.S. officials saying that "General Sergey Surovikin, deputy commander of Russian military operations in Ukraine, was aware of the mutiny plans before they occurred at the beginning of the week."
