"Our flag is blue and yellow. It's the flag for which we live, die, and triumph. We will never raise any other flag," declared the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba, in response to surprising words from Pope Francis, who spoke about "the courage of the white flag to negotiate" in the context of Ukraine.
"The stronger one is he who sees the situation, who thinks of the nation, who has the courage of the white flag to negotiate. Today, negotiations can be conducted with the help of international powers. The word 'negotiate' is courageous," said Francis in an interview with Swiss television.
"The strongest is the one who, in the fight between good and evil, stands on the side of good, instead of trying to equate them and call it 'negotiations,'" Kuleba responded on the platform X.
"At the same time, regarding the white flag, we are familiar with the Vatican's strategy from the first half of the 20th century. I call for avoiding the repetition of past mistakes and for supporting Ukraine and its people in their righteous fight for life," wrote the Ukrainian foreign minister.
"We thank His Holiness Pope Francis for his continuous prayers for peace and still hope that after two years of devastating war in the heart of Europe, the Pope will find an opportunity to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine to support over a million Ukrainian Catholics, over five million Greek Catholics, all Christians, and all Ukrainians," appealed Kuleba in a post published in English and Ukrainian.
