Ukraine, allies blast pope’s ‘white flag’ comment
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian and allied officials criticized Pope Francis on Sunday for saying that Kyiv should have the “courage” to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, a statement many interpreted as a call for Ukraine to surrender.
The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland, a vocal ally of Kyiv, condemned the pope’s remarks. And a leader of one of Ukraine’s
Christian churches said Sunday that only the country’s determined resistance tomoscow’sfull-scaleinvasion, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24, 2022, had prevented a mass slaughter of civilians.
In an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI and partially released Saturday, Francis used the phrase “the courage of the white flag” as he argued that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should be open to peace talks brokered by international powers.
“Our flag is blue and yellow. We live, die and win under it. We will not raise other flags,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba posted Sunday on X, formerly Twitter.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski tweeted: “How about, for balance, encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine? Peace would immediately ensue without the need for negotiations.”
In his tweet, Kuleba urged the Holy See to “not repeat historical mistakes” as he alleged that the Vatican didn’t do enough to resist Nazi Germany.
Yet he also invited Francis to Ukraine.
Ukraine and Russia reported civilian deaths Sunday after trading drone, missile and shelling attacks overnight that also caused a fire at a Russian oil depot and targeted Ukrainian power stations, according to officials.