Russia says pope’s ‘white flag’ remarks regarding Ukraine directed at West

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Russia said that a comment made by Pope Francis on “having the courage to raise the white flag” regarding Ukraine is addressed specifically towards the West rather than Kyiv.

“The way I see it, the Pope is asking the West to put aside its ambitions and admit that it was wrong,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Italian state news agency ANSA on Sunday.

Expressing that Russia “never blocked negotiations” for peace in Ukraine, Zakharova said that everyone currently understands that the situation in the war-torn country is at a “dead end.”

This is why "many diplomats and countries are calling for negotiations," the spokeswoman added.

Pope Francis said during an interview with Switzerland’s public broadcasting service released on Saturday that he believes the “strongest” with regards to the situation in Ukraine is the one who has “the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate.”

Ukraine slammed Pope Francis’ comments in later statements, with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba defining the "strongest" one as the one who “stands on the side of good rather than attempting to put them on the same footing and call it ‘negotiations’.”

"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,” he added.