The call to stop fighting was not well received in kyiv.
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy vowed on Sunday to never surrender to Russia, in reaction to Pope Francis' appeal to the belligerents in the conflict in Ukraine to have "the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate ".
“I believe that the strongest in this type of situation thinks of the people and has the courage to raise the white flag (…) If you continue like this, how many more deaths will there be?
Don’t be ashamed to negotiate before things become more difficult,” the pontiff said in an interview with a Swiss television channel.
In an interview with a Swiss broadcaster, Pope Francis said Ukraine should have the "courage of the white flag" and negotiate with Russia to put an end to the war.
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— DW News (@dwnews) March 10, 2024
“The strongest is he who, in the battle between good and evil, stands on the side of good rather than trying to put them on the same footing and calling it negotiations
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” replied the head of the Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba, in a message on X (formerly Twitter).
“Our flag is yellow and blue.
This is the flag for which we live, die and triumph.
We will never raise any more flags,” he continued.
“We thank His Holiness Pope Francis for his constant prayers for peace and we continue to hope that after two years of devastating war in the heart of Europe, he will find the opportunity to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine to supporting more than a million Ukrainians,” concluded Dmytro Kouleba.
The strongest is the one who, in the battle between good and evil, stands on the side of good rather than attempting to put them on the same footing and call it “negotiations”.
At the same time, when it comes to the white flag, we know this Vatican's strategy from the first half…
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 10, 2024
Faced with a shortage of ammunition and in particular artillery shells, the Ukrainian armed forces have ceded ground to the Russian army in recent days.
In February, Putin's men recaptured the village of Avdiivka, in the east of the country.