Kiev's decisive reaction to the Pope's words. “I appeal not to repeat mistakes”

Pope Francis' statements regarding the war in Ukraine have often aroused controversy. This was also the case this time when he stated that “Volodymyr Zelensky and his country should show the courage of the white flag.” – The one who sees the situation, who thinks about the nation, and who has the courage of the white flag to negotiate is stronger. When you see that you are defeated and things are not going well, you must have the courage to negotiate, the pope said. – This is a shameful issue, but on the other hand, how many victims will it end with? Negotiate in advance, look for a country to mediate. Don't be ashamed to negotiate before it gets worse, he appealed.

Kiev's decisive reaction to the pope's statement

The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, reacted firmly to such words of the Pope. “The strongest is the one who stands on the side of good in the fight between good and evil, instead of trying to put them on an equal footing and calling it 'negotiations'. At the same time, when it comes to the white flag, we know the Vatican's strategy from the first half of the 20th century. I urge you not to repeat the mistakes of the past and support Ukraine and its citizens in a just fight for life,” he wrote on Sunday on X.

“Our flag is blue and yellow. It is the flag for which we live, die and triumph. We will never raise any other flag,” Kułeba emphasized. “We thank His Holiness Pope Francis for his constant prayers for peace and we continue to hope that after two years of devastating war in the heart of Europe, the Pope will find the opportunity to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine to support over a million Ukrainian Catholics, over 5 million Greek Catholics, all Christians , all Ukrainians,” he suggested.

The Vatican explains Francis' words

After the media storm, the Vatican spokesman spoke out. Matteo Bruni said in a statement that “the Pope picked up on the term 'white flag' uttered by the interviewer and used it to indicate the cessation of hostilities and the truce achieved thanks to the courage of negotiations.” Matteo Bruni assured that Francis' desire “is and always remains what has been repeated for years, that is, to create conditions for a diplomatic solution in pursuit of a just and lasting peace.”

“How about, for balance, encourage Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine?” – Radosław Sikorski asked in his entry. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that “then peace will come immediately, without the need for negotiations.”