The head of the Vatican press service, Matteo Bruni, explained that Pope Francis did not mean the capitulation of Ukraine to Russia when he said that "those who think about people, those who have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate, are stronger."
The press service of the Vatican writes about it.
A fragment of the Popeʼs interview was published by the Swiss broadcaster RSI. The journalist asked Francis the following question: "There are those in Ukraine who call for the courage to surrender, to show the white flag." But others say it would give legitimacy to whoever has more power. What do you think about that?”
"The word ʼnegotiateʼ is a bold word. When you see that you are losing, that things are not going very well, you need to have the courage to negotiate. Shame on you, but how many deaths will this end up with? Negotiate in time, look for a country that would act as an intermediary. Today, for example, in the war in Ukraine, there are many willing to act as mediators. Turkey has offered itself for this," the pontiff added after speaking of the "courage to raise the white flag."
As noted in the Vatican, in fact, Francis used the phrase "white flag", repeating it after the journalist, and meant the cessation of hostilities, a truce thanks to negotiations.
"Negotiations are never surrender," the Pope added.
- Since February 24, 2022, the Pope has called for peace almost every week and has repeatedly stated that he wants to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow.