Russian war of aggression
Pope Francis advises Ukraine to negotiate – Kiev reacts sharply
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj during the Taras Shevchenko Prize ceremony in Kiev
© Ukraine Presidency/Zuma Press / Imago Images
Pope Francis has called on Ukraine to negotiate peace with attacker Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is now sending him a very clear answer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a controversial appeal Pope Francis sharply rejected peace negotiations with Russia. The church is with the people, said Zelenskyj on Sunday in his evening video address. “And not two and a half thousand kilometers away, somewhere, to virtually mediate between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you.”
Zelensky continued: “When Russian evil started this war on February 24 (2022), all Ukrainians stood up to defend themselves. Christians, Muslims, Jews – everyone.” And he thanks every Ukrainian clergyman who is in the army, in the Defense Forces. They are on the front line, they protect life and humanity, they support with prayers, conversations and actions. “That’s what the church is – with the people.”
Pope Francis gives misleading interview
The pontiff had sparked massive opposition with a misleading appeal for peace negotiations in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The statements by the head of the Catholic Church were understood in Ukraine and by many of its supporters as a one-sided appeal to Kiev alone – and by some even as a call to surrender. In an interview published on Swiss television at the weekend, the 87-year-old also used the phrase “white flag” in view of the difficulties faced by the Ukrainian army – in times of war for centuries the sign of surrender, i.e. surrender without a fight against enemy troops.
“Our flag is blue and yellow, that is the flag with which we live, die and persevere,” replied Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. The federal government and Poland also criticized the pontiff.
“When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate,” said Francis in the interview, which was conducted at the beginning of February but has only now become known. Without naming either of the parties to the conflict, Russia or Ukraine, he added: “Don’t be ashamed to negotiate before things get worse.” Nevertheless, this was often understood as a reference, especially to Ukraine.
Annalena Baerbock reacts to the Pope in shock
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reacted dumbfounded to the Pope’s appeal. “I really wonder what he was thinking,” said the Green politician on the ARD program “Caren Miosga”. “I dont understand.”
Baerbock demanded that you have to have the courage to stand by the people of Ukraine and do everything for Ukraine so that it can defend itself. If there was a minimal chance that the Russian side would show a willingness to talk, “then the whole world would be there and talk. Unfortunately, we see the opposite every day.”