Putin uses Vatican call to shift blame, “whine about Ukrainians,” theologian says

Doctor of Theology, Taras Dzyubanskyy, shared this opinion with Espreso TV.

“This phone call can be interpreted in several ways. First and foremost, it suggests that Putin senses his own vulnerability, that he’s losing. He feels the mounting international pressure. This is, by the way, his first call to the Vatican since 2021 — since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. So it likely signals desperation, since he’s now reaching out even to the Pope,” Dzyubanskyi said.

He noted that it seemed as though Vladimir Putin called the Pope simply to complain about Ukrainians.

“Let’s remember that just a few days ago, when the Vatican offered itself as a platform for dialogue, Lavrov (Russia's Foreign Minister - ed.) said Russia couldn’t accept it because the Vatican is a Catholic state and Russia is Orthodox. But that argument falls apart — Russia held talks in Istanbul, and Turkey is a Muslim country. So religion isn’t really the issue here. It looks more like desperation. It felt like Putin was calling the Pope to whine. Saying something like: ‘Look, the Ukrainians are terrorizing us. They’re attacking us now.’ Meanwhile, he completely ignores the fact that Russia has been attacking Ukraine for years,” the theologian added.

• Russian leader Vladimir Putin's phone call to Pope Leo XIV can only indicate a weakening of Russia's position.