Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: According to Reuters, Pope Francis made these statements during an interview with Swiss TV channel RSI last month; That is, when the last proposal of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to host a meeting between Ukraine and Russia in order to end the war had not yet been made.

 

Erdogan made this new proposal after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Istanbul. Zelensky says he wants peace but will not cede any part of Ukrainian territory. Zelensky's peace plan calls for the withdrawal of Russian forces from all over Ukraine and the restoration of the country's official borders, but the Kremlin has refused to participate in peace talks with Kiev's terms.

 

In an interview last month, Pope Francis was asked to weigh in on the divide between those who say Ukraine should surrender because it has failed to resist and those who say it would legitimize Russia's attack.

 

In this interview, which is scheduled to be broadcast, he said: "I think the strongest person is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people, and has the courage to [raise] the white flag and negotiate."

 

He further added: "The word negotiation is a brave word. "When you see that you have failed and things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate."

 

The leader of the world's Catholics has spoken many times about the war in Ukraine and deplored the killing of civilians; However, this is the first time he has used terms like "white flag" or "failed".

 

In 2023, the 87-year-old Pope sent a peace envoy named Cardinal Matteo Zoppi to Kiev, Moscow and Washington to talk with the leaders of these countries about ending the war.

 

In his recent interview, he stressed about negotiations: "They may feel embarrassed or ashamed to negotiate, but this war should end with how many deaths?" It is necessary to negotiate in time and find a country that can be a mediator."

 

"I'm here," the world Catholic leader then said when asked if he was willing to mediate.

 

In another part of this interview, he also said about the war between Israel and Hamas that "negotiation never means surrender".

 

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last month that since the Russian invasion in February 2022, 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and tens of thousands of civilians have died in the occupied territories of the country.

 

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its partners, along with military and economic support for Kiev, considered Moscow's sanctions as the third pillar of support for Ukraine and hoped that the unprecedented sanctions would deny Russia access to modern and advanced weapons. reduce Russia and push the Kremlin to the path of peace by applying economic pressure.

 

However, the Wall Street Journal wrote on Thursday, February 22, that two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Western sanctions have failed in their most important goal, which is to stop Moscow's war machine.

 

Meanwhile, while some Western countries are thinking of sending military forces to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that such an action will bring the risk of starting a global nuclear war.

 

In his annual speech to Russian representatives and high-ranking officials on Thursday, February 29, Putin pledged that Moscow's goals would be achieved in Kiev, while presenting a detailed report on the progress of the war, and about the "catastrophic" consequences of further Western involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.