Pope Francis on war: Ukrainians do not dream of peace negotiations
Pope Francis, speaking about the war in Ukraine, said that the return of the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia is a "political problem", and in order to achieve peace, the parties must "talk to each other".
The Pope said this in an interview with Telemundo, Censor.NET reports with reference to "Euro Integration".
Francis talked about his meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, when he visited Italy on May 13.
"They (Ukrainians. - Ed.) don't even dream of peace negotiations, because the Ukrainian bloc is really very strong: all of Europe, the United States. In other words, they themselves have very great power," he said.
When asked whether Russia should return the occupied territories to Ukraine in order to achieve peace, the Pope said: "This is a political problem. Peace will be achieved on the day when they (Ukraine and the Russian Federation. - Ed.) can talk to each other - or themselves, or through others".
"If they won't talk... it's a political issue," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Last week it became known that Pope Francis asked the head of the Italian episcopate, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to create a peacekeeping mission for the war in Ukraine.
This is probably the mission the Pope talked about during his visit to Hungary in April, but no details have been revealed yet.
It will be recalled that President Volodymyr Zelensky, after communicating with Pope Francis, said that he had received a signal of support for the Ukrainian "peace formula" from the Vatican.
