„When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, it is necessary to have the courage to negotiate,“ the head of the Catholic church said.
Remarks by Pope Francis appearing to suggest Ukraine should have the „courage of the white flag“ in its war against Russia have sparked waves of criticism, prompting the Vatican to quickly clarify the comments from the leader of the Catholic church.
„I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates,“ Francis said in an interview recorded in February with RSI, a Swiss broadcaster. Part of the interview was published on Saturday, and the interviewer used the term, „white flag,“ in a question put to the Catholic leader.
Kyiv has repeatedly said it will not negotiate with Moscow, and will not accept Russia holding any territory recognized by the international community as Ukrainian. Late last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara was „ready to host a peace summit that Russia will attend too,“ following a meeting with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
