- Pope encourages Ukraine negotiations
- Criticism from Poland, Ukraine
- Pope opposes Ukrainian surrender
As Russia gained ground on the battlefield, Pope Francis stated that Kyiv had no reason to be embarrassed to communicate with Moscow.
The Pope’s supplications regarding Ukraine’s engagement in negotiations with Russia to end the conflict have drawn criticism, including the condemnation of his statements by a prominent Polish politician and a prominent Ukrainian cleric.
The leader of the Catholic Church urged Ukraine to negotiate with “the courage of the white flag” and further stated, “I believe the strongest side is the one that negotiates with the courage of the white flag while considering the situation and the people.”
“Before things get worse,” he told Swiss broadcaster RSI in an interview, Kyiv should not be ashamed to negotiate with Vladimir Putin’s regime because “negotiating is a courageous word.”
“It takes courage to negotiate when one observes that one is defeated and that circumstances are not favourable.” He added, “Negotiations never amount to a surrender.”
Radek Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister and a vocal and steadfast ally of Ukraine, replied on X: “For the sake of equilibrium, how about urging Putin to withdraw his army from Ukraine with courage? Instantaneously, peace would ensue in place of negotiations.
Mr Sikorski established a comparison between those advocating for negotiations and “denying [Ukraine] the means to defend itself” and the “appeasement” of Adolf Hitler by European leaders just before World War II.
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, also expressed that the Ukrainian people do not intend to surrender.
During a meeting with Ukrainians in New York, he remarked, “Ukraine is injured but unconquered! Ukraine is depleted, yet it continues to persevere and persist. It truly does not occur to anyone to consider surrendering.”
Andrii Yurash, the Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, appeared to compare the Pope’s remarks to demands for “communicating with Hitler” while flying “a white flag to appease him” in a post on X.
Later, a Vatican spokesman clarified that the Pope opposed an outright Ukrainian capitulation and advocated for “a cessation of hostilities and a truce achieved through the valour of negotiations.”
The Pope reiterated the phrase “white flag” employed by the interviewer.
Peace negotiations would be an enormous departure for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who maintains a steadfast stance against directly engaging Moscow in peace negotiations.
As the conflict enters its third year, Russia’s substantial resource advantage is beginning to manifest in tangible advancements on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Ukraine is facing a scarcity of ammunition, and certain Western allies are contemplating the deployment of their personnel to the conflict.
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The Pope has endeavoured to uphold the Vatican’s customary diplomatic neutrality throughout the conflict; however, this has frequently been accompanied by evident support for the Russian justification for its invasion of Ukraine.
The individual expressed that NATO’s eastward expansion was “barking at Russia’s door” in May 2022, three months after the commencement of the invasion.
The Pope declared his aspiration “for peace in the tormented Ukraine and the Holy Land” while performing the Angelus prayer on Sunday from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square in Rome.
Let immediately cease the hostilities that inflict tremendous hardship on the civilian populace.
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