The Pope’s words continue to make waves in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Vatican envoy to the country to protest against statements by the pontiff who had called on kyiv to have “the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate” with Moscow.
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“ Visvaldas Kulbokas was informed that theUkraine is disappointed by the Pontiff’s words regarding the “white flag” and the need to “show courage and negotiate” with the aggressor “, indicated the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.
Such calls legalize the right of the strongest and encourage them to continue to ignore the norms of international law », Adds Ukrainian diplomacy. This is not the first time that the sovereign pontiff’s statements have caused discontent by Ukraine. Pope Francis has so far avoided designating the Russia as the aggressor country and has still not surrendered to kyiv.
The Ukrainian president praised the role of Ukrainian army chaplains in his daily message this weekend. “ This is where the Church must be: with the people. (…) And not 2,500 kilometers away, with virtual mediation between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you “, said Volodymyr Zelenskywithout pronouncing the name of Pope Francis.
The Vatican had sought to clarify the words of Pope Francis on Saturday evening, insisting in a press release on the fact that the formula “ White flag » here meant “ a cessation of hostilities, a truce obtained with the courage to negotiate » rather than a surrender. The sovereign pontiff also called after the Angelus prayer on Sunday for peace “ in martyred Ukraine “.
“Military support for Ukraine »
On the Berlin side, the declarations of the head of Vatican cause misunderstanding. “ I think some things can only be understood if you see them for yourself », Estimated the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, who has visited the country at war several times over the past two years.
Annalena Baerbock stressed, in an interview with the public channel ARD, that if Ukraine and its allies “ if they didn’t show strength now, there would be no peace », calling for everything to be done so that Ukraine can defend itself.
For his part, the secretary general ofNATO, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Monday that Ukraine needed weapons and not white flags. “ If we want a lasting peaceful solution, the way to achieve it is to provide military support to Ukraine “, Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters. “ What happens around a negotiating table is closely linked to the balance of power on the battlefield. “, declared the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.