Pope Francis has come under fire in Ukraine and among its supporters for implying that Ukraine should show “the bravery to hoist the white flag” and engage in talks to conclude its war with the invading Russian forces. The Pope, during an interaction with Swiss press last month, parts of which were disclosed over the weekend, stated, “I believe the mightiest is the one who evaluates the situation, considers the populace and possesses the audacity to hoist the white flag and negotiate.” He advocated for negotiation as a bold step, especially when defeat is imminent and things are not going as planned.
Additionally, the Pope mentioned that Turkey had proposed to hold peace talks and responded affirmatively when asked if he would mediate, stating “I am here”. Russia, however, maintains that negotiations are unfeasible unless Ukraine acknowledges the capture of a large piece of its land and accepts other terms that would restrict its sovereignty. Meanwhile, Kyiv demands that Moscow retract all of its troops, pay damages, and face a war crimes court.
His indecisiveness in openly accusing Moscow for the war, and occasional suggestions that Nato triggered Russian President Vladimir Putin by approving membership applications from countries near Russia, have left Kyiv and its allies disappointed. Anton Gerashchenko, a notable blogger and former adviser to Kyiv’s interior ministry, sparked fury on social media, comparing the Pope’s stance to hypothetical surrender to Hitler had he lived in the 1940s.
In response to the Pope’s comments, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba stated: “The mightiest is the one who, in the conflict between good and evil, aligns with the good, rather than striving to equate them and label it ‘negotiations’. We are familiar with this tactic of the Vatican, dating back to the first half of the 20th century. I urge to refrain from repeating past mistakes and to support Ukraine and its citizens in their rightful battle for survival.”
“Our banner is coloured in hues of yellow and blue, a symbol that embodies our existence, our triumphs, and our inevitable end. No other emblem will ever fly above us. Our gratitude extends to Pope Francis for his unending intercession in the name of peace. Following two years of brutal conflict in Europe’s core, we maintain the glimmer of hope that the Holy Father will seize the chance to provide an Apostolic visit to Ukraine, extending his support to a million devoted Ukrainian Catholics, beyond five million Greek-Catholics, all Christians, and every Ukrainian,” he conveyed during “X”.
Subsequently, Poland’s foreign secretary, Radoslaw Sikorski suggested, “For the sake of fairness, why not inspire Putin to have the resolve to retract his military from Ukraine? Such an act would instantaneously bring about peace, without any requirement for diplomatic discussions.”
To this, Latvian chief Edgars Rinkevics added his Sunday reflection on social media: “Surrendering to malevolence is inadmissible, the only option is to battle with it and overcome it until it submits and unfurls the white flag.”
The following day after comments from the Pope were made public, the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, alleged that, “torture forms an integral part of Russia’s warfare strategy in Ukraine.”
She claimed that about nine out of ten cases – more than 100,000 instances of war crimes being probed by Ukraine – involve torture. Edwards further mentioned that “torture has been systematically and coordinately executed” in various seized zones, highlighting “direct sanction and a premeditated strategy.”
Despite these claims, Moscow consistently refutes any attributions of their forces committing atrocities in Ukraine. As a matter of fact, just the previous Sunday, a minimum of three civilians lost their lives and a dozen were wounded due to aerial attacks on towns across the eastern Donetsk region. In comparison, Russia reported only one casualty and an incineration of an oil storage station due to Ukrainian bombings and drone assaults in the border territory of Kursk.
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