ROME – Vladimir Putin feels "the time is not right" to speak to Zelensky said the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in a press conference Thursday, one day after his first phone call with the Russian President since the war began, political sources said.

 In his conversation with Putin on Wednesday, Draghi stressed that “Italy is ready to work for peace if there is de-escalation," while Putin requested that European countries pay for their gas supplies in rubles to help the national currency appreciate. The Italian Premier told press Thursday that paying in rubles is "unacceptable and not feasible," and he confirmed that payments will continue in euros or dollars.

 “Premier Draghi stressed the importance of establishing a ceasefire as soon as possible, to protect the civilian population and support the negotiating effort,” read a statement from Palazzo Chigi. "The two leaders agreed on keeping in touch,” it concluded.

 The Kremlin’s statement noted that Putin provided information on the progress of the peace talks “at the request of Mario Draghi” and that “clarifications were provided in relation to the decision to switch to rubles in payments for gas supplies to several countries, including Italy.”

 A few hours earlier, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, announced that "the change of Russian gas payment currency into rubles will take time and will not begin this week,” despite Putin's decree which “indicated March 31 as the deadline for changing the payment methods.”

 At the same time as Draghi’s phone call, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had a telephone exchange with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio. 

 Kuleba wrote on Twitter, “I am grateful to Italy for standing firmly on Ukraine's side in these difficult days. We discussed further sanctions on Russia and other ways in which Italy can help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression.”

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