Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized indirectly the recent comment by Pope Francis that Ukraine should "have the courage to raise the white flag," meaning it should negotiate with Russia two years into Moscow’s invasion.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy thanked Ukrainian religious leaders who are on the front-line, “protecting life and humanity,” and who show support with “prayer, conversation, and deeds.”
“This is what the church is,” he said, “one with the people. Not two and a half thousand kilometers away — somewhere, looking for a virtual meditation [sic] between those who want to live and those who want to destroy you,” referring to the pontiff’s comments during an interview with Swiss broadcaster RSI.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also criticized the pope’s remarks on social media saying "our flag is a yellow and blue one. This is the flag by which we live, die, and prevail. We shall never raise any other flags," vowing "never" to surrender.
Kuleba called on the pontiff to stand "on the side of good" and not put the opposing sides "on the same footing and call it 'negotiations.
He also thanked the pope for his "constant prayers for peace" and said Kyiv hoped the cleric would visit Ukraine.
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni responded to the criticisms saying that the pontiff urged “a stop to hostilities (and) a truce achieved with the courage of negotiations,” rather than an outright Ukrainian surrender.
According to a transcript of the interview last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI and a partial video made available to the Reuters news agency Saturday, Francis urged Ukraine to “have the courage to negotiate” an end to the war with Russia.
Bruni said the pope’s comments were in response to a question by interviewer Lorenzo Buccella who used the term “white flag” to refer to peace negotiations initiated by Ukraine. “In Ukraine, some call for the courage of surrender, of the white flag. But others say that this would legitimize the stronger party. What do you think?” asked Buccella.
"It is one interpretation, that is true," Francis said adding, "I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates," he said, adding that talks should take place with the help of international powers.
The interview is slated to be broadcast on March 20.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan cautioned Sunday not to take the pontiff’s comments out of context.
“It’s always difficult until you read the whole text. Because when the pope says something, it’s very nuanced,” Dolan said, adding that the pope was suggesting dialogue not recapitulation. The Holy See explained the pope’s comments afterwards, he said.
“So Ukrainian people maintain your courage, because the world admires you for it,” he said.
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, also said Sunday that surrender is not on the minds of Ukrainians.
In an interview with VOA Ukrainian, Shevchuk said that he was “shocked,” probably like the entire Ukrainian people, by the pope’s comments but expressed relief that the Vatican clarified the Pope’s words really meaning “readiness for negotiations.”
Pope Francis’ message that Ukraine should “have the courage to negotiate” an end to the war with Russia, now in its third year, has also drawn heavy criticism from Ukraine's allies.
Polish Foreign Affair Minister Radek Sikorski, a vocal ally of Kyiv, and Andrii Yurash, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Vatican, both used World War II analogies to condemn the pope’s remarks, while a leader of one of Ukraine’s Christian churches said Sunday that only the country’s determined resistance to Russia’s aggression had prevented a mass slaughter of civilians.
“How about, for balance, encouraging [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine? Peace would immediately ensue without the need for negotiations,” Sikorski responded with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a separate post, Sikorski drew a parallel between those calling for negotiations while “denying (Ukraine) the means to defend itself" and European leaders’ “appeasement” of Adolf Hitler just before World War II.
Zelenskyy has said that while he wants peace, he will not give up any territory. The Kremlin has ruled out engaging in peace talks on terms set by Kyiv.
Some information for this report came from Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
