Vatican tries to appease after Pope's statements about Ukraine. Pope Francis called on Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
His deputy has now tried to calm things down and is holding Russia accountable. Cardinal Pietro Parolin told the Corriere della Sera that the Vatican was pushing for a ceasefire and that "first and foremost, the aggressors should stop firing" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj sharply rejected the appeal on Sunday: The church is with the people, he said.