Ukraine summons Vatican envoy after Pope's remarks calling on kyiv to 'raise the white flag'
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 sovereign pontiff who had called on kyiv to have “the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate” with Moscow.
Pope Francis on Thursday, November 30, 2023. (Illustrative image) © AP - Andrew Medichini
By: RFI Follow
Advertisement
Read more
"
Visvaldas Kulbokas was informed that
Ukraine
is disappointed by the Pontiff's words regarding the 'white flag' and the need to 'show courage and negotiate' with the aggressor
," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said 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 in
Ukraine
.
Pope Francis has so far avoided designating Russia
as
an aggressor country and has still not visited Kiev.
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 Zelensky
, without pronouncing the name of Pope Francis.
The Vatican had sought to clarify the remarks 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 side of Berlin, the declarations of the head of the
Vatican
cause incomprehension.
“
I think that some things can only be understood if you see them for yourself
,” said the German Foreign Minister, who has visited the war-torn country several times over the past two years.
Annalena Baerbock stressed, in an interview with the public channel ARD, that if Ukraine and its allies “
did not show strength now, there would be no peace
”, calling for everything to be done so that Ukraine can defend himself.
For his part, NATO
Secretary General
Jens Stoltenberg said 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 the negotiating table is closely linked to the balance of power on the battlefield
,” declared the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your inbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Share :
Continue reading on the same themes:
Pope Francis
Diplomacy
Ukraine