Austrian leftist Walter Bayer (social networking sites)
The leader of the main political grouping of left-wing parties in the European Union considered that the time had come to "negotiate" an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, supporting the controversial call made by Pope Francesco to Kiev to raise the "white flag."
Austrian Walter Baer said, "I believe that helping the Ukrainian people now means making attempts to end the war."
The main grouping of left-wing parties chose Bayer last month as its candidate for the presidency of the European Commission.
This group includes European communist and socialist parties, including the German Die Linke, the Greek Syriza, and the French Communist Party.
Bayer previously "strongly condemned the Russian aggression."
But - in a joint interview on Monday with the "European Newsroom", which includes several news agencies, including French - he pointed out that the "frozen" conflict fronts require a new approach.
He said, "I hope that the European Union will make diplomatic efforts to begin negotiations to reach a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces."
He added, "In this regard, I fully support what the Pope says. Now is the time to end the war, to negotiate and to stop the killing."
Earlier this month, the Pope urged Kiev to "raise the white flag and negotiate" more than two years after the war.
The Ukrainian government responded angrily to this call, although the Vatican made clear that the phrase "white flag" did not mean surrender, but rather a cessation of hostilities.
Source: French