Pope Francesco said when you see that you are defeated, you must have the courage to negotiate (French)
Pope Francis called on Ukraine to show the "courage of the white flag" and negotiate an end to the two-year-old war, while Kiev said on Sunday that it had destroyed 35 of 39 attack drones launched by Russia last night.
The Pope said - during an interview with the Swiss Radio and Television Corporation broadcast yesterday, Saturday - that Ukraine must display what he called "the courage of the white flag" and negotiate an end to the war, which Russia launched two years ago and has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people so far.
The Pope explained in an interview about whether Ukraine should surrender to Russia, or whether that would legitimize the logic of the strongest. The Pope said, “I believe that the strongest are those who pay attention to the situation, think about the people, and have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate.”
He added, "The word negotiation is a word of courage. When you see that you are defeated, and that things do not work out, you must have the courage to negotiate."
While the Pope acknowledged that the approach he referred to might make some feel ashamed, he pointed to the large number of lives being lost.
He added, "Don't be shy about negotiating before things get worse."
He pointed out that a mediating country must be sought in order to launch the discussions, pointing out at the same time that Turkey had submitted a proposal for mediation in this regard.
The Pope made this statement during an interview recorded last February, and broadcast yesterday with the Swiss network, long before the offer made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday to host a summit between Ukraine and Russia to end the war.
Erdogan made the new offer after a meeting in Istanbul with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky said he wanted peace, but would not give up any Ukrainian territory.
A peace plan proposed by Zelensky calls for the withdrawal of Russian forces from all parts of Ukraine and the restoration of the state's borders, while the Kremlin rules out entering into peace talks on the conditions set by Kiev.
Dropping drones
On the other hand, the Ukrainian Air Force said via the Telegram messaging application that it shot down 35 of the 39 attack drones launched by Russia last night.
The Air Force explained that most of the drones were destroyed over the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.
It did not indicate that any damage occurred as a result.
The Air Force said that Russia launched 4 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles.
It did not say what happened to the missiles or whether they reached their targets.
Source: Agencies