Raise the “white flag”: Vatican tries to hold back Pope's statement on Ukraine

Raise the “white flag”.
The Vatican is trying to hold back the Pope's statement on Ukraine

March 10, 2024, 9:32 am

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In the war in Ukraine, Kiev is increasingly on the defensive. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni clarified the Catholic leader's statements after Pope Francis called for “courage to negotiate” in an interview. This does not mean the surrender of Ukraine.

Matteo Bruni, head of the Vatican press office, commented on Pope Francis' statement. In one “Vatican News” In a statement released, Vatican spokesman Francis spoke of the “white flag,” explaining that “the ceasefire was achieved with the courage to negotiate.” Bruni stressed that the papacy did not mean Kiev's surrender, but rather a call for a “diplomatic solution for a just and lasting peace” in Ukraine. In a question in the interview, the journalist suggested the metaphor of the white flag, which was taken by Francis to mean the cessation of hostilities through negotiations.

In an interview with Swiss TV RSI, Pope Francis urged Kiev to raise the “white flag”. “When you see that you are defeated, when you see that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate,” the Pope said in an interview published Saturday. “Don't be shy to negotiate before things get worse,” the church leader said in the conversation, which reportedly took place a day after the second anniversary of the outbreak of war on February 25.

The Pope said he believed strength would be shown by “those who recognize the situation, who think about the people, who have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate.” Several actors, including Turkey, are mediators. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to hold peace talks between Russia and Ukraine on Friday. NATO member Turkey has maintained its ties with both Ukraine and Russia since the start of the war.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy emphasized his peace plan at a joint press conference with Erdogan. It provides, among other things, for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and the restoration of Ukrainian state borders. Russia has rejected peace talks on terms laid out by Kiev.

In the more than two-year-old war, Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline are increasingly suffering from ammunition shortages – due to delays in further military aid from the United States. Almost every night, Russia launches combat drones against Ukraine.