Pope Francis has been criticised by Ukraine and many of its Western hemisphere supporters for saying that Ukraine should have the courage to start negotiating and show the “white flag” to end its war with Russia.
The reactions to the pontiff’s comments has illustrated the political fault lines within Europe as to what steps different states are willing to take in defence of Ukraine.
In an interview with Swiss public broadcaster RSI, Pope Francis was asked for his position on a debate between those who say Ukraine should acknowledge its failure to repel Russian forces, and those who say doing so would legitimise the actions of the stronger belligerent party. The interviewer used the term “white flag” in the question, writes Reuters. The pope replied:
It is one interpretation, that is true. But 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 added that talks should take place with the help of international powers. “The word negotiate is a courageous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate,” he said.
Along with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, Pope Francis has been one of a very few leaders in Europe who has called for peace in Ukraine, and for Kyiv and Moscow to start negotiating a ceasefire. After more than two years of war, with no end in sight, invading Russian forces now seem to be on the front foot. Ukrainians claim that they are forced to abandon positions due to a lack of artillery ammunition and other vital equipment.
“Do not be ashamed of negotiating, before things get worse,” Pope Francis said in the interview. Asked if he was willing to mediate, Francis said “I am here.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, March 11th that the pope’s comments were quite understandable and that Russia was ready to sit down, but that Kyiv had ruled out talks due to its mistaken view that the West could defeat Russia.
Francis’s words, however, were met with indignation in Ukraine and much of Europe.
While not making a direct reference to the pope, but mentioning religious figures in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said:
They support us with prayer, with their discussion and with deeds. This is indeed what a church with the people is. Not 2,500 km away, somewhere, virtual mediation between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you.
“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,” declared Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the X social media platform.
The head of Ukraine’s Greek Catholic Church, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, also rejected the pope’s comments, saying: “Ukraine is wounded, but not conquered! Ukraine is exhausted, but it stands and will stand! Believe me, no one has any idea of surrendering.”
But it was not just Ukraine that rejected the pope’s call for peace. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote on X: “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.” Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies in the war, and is one of its leading donors of military aid.
Sikorski’s German counterpart Annalena Baerbock also questioned the pope’s comments, saying she didn’t understand his stance. “I think some things you can only understand if you see them for yourself,” she added, urging Francis to visit Ukraine, and see the suffering children. She went on to say that if Ukraine and its allies “don’t show strength now, there will be no peace.” Baerbock stressed “we must stand by Ukraine and do everything we can to ensure that it can defend itself.” Germany is the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine, after the United States. Berlin is facing growing pressure to deliver long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine but Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far rebuffed those calls, citing concerns about potentially escalating the conflict.
While Scholz is being cautious, another leader, French President Emmanuel Macron has added fuel to the fire by saying two weeks ago that sending Western troops to Ukraine should “not be ruled out.” Though many leaders of NATO member states have since distanced themselves from Macron, saying they would never send their own soldiers to Ukraine, he reiterated his words a few days ago, stating that there was “no limit” or “red line” to France’s support for Ukraine. The Kremlin has warned that if NATO sends combat troops, a direct conflict would be inevitable.
The warning seems to have fallen on deaf ears. One of a few nations that does agree with Macron is Poland. Radosław Sikorski on Friday said that the presence of NATO forces “is not unthinkable.” He said he appreciated Macron’s initiative “because it is about Putin being afraid, not us being afraid of Putin.” The three Baltic nations bordering Russia may also be on board. The foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met their French counterpart on Friday, and Lithuanian Gabrielius Landsbergis said “no form of support for Ukraine can be excluded.”
However, a recent study by Hungarian think tank Századvég shows there is not a single European country where a majority supports sending troops to assist Ukraine. All in all, more than two-thirds (67%) of EU and UK citizens oppose Macron’s idea.
