He shared the information on Espreso TV.
"Today, Putin has raised all his available agent forces to force Ukraine to surrender. We can see this even when it comes to the Pope, who has lost his authority. Now, in Poland, which is a deeply Catholic country, the local media are writing very negatively about the Pope. There is also evidence that the Vatican Bank has a direct interest in Russian money and is actively involved in money laundering. It becomes obvious that the Pope himself is interested in this. That is why his statements are characterized by mercantile interest," explained Shcherbak.
The diplomat added that all pro-Russian forces in Europe expected a quick victory for Russia in the war with Ukraine.
"If we talk about Orban, everything is clear. He is an agent of Putin. Orban has dark financial ties to the Kremlin. There is every reason to believe that they all expected Russia to win in the first days of the full-scale invasion in order to seize part of Ukrainian territory," he added.
The Pope said that Ukraine should have the courage to raise the white flag and start negotiations with Russia. The Vatican issued an explanation of what Francis' words mean.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs asserts that it is evil that should be raising the white flag as a symbol of surrender, emphasizing that it must be defeated before any such gesture can be considered. Meanwhile, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has appealed to the Pope, urging him to encourage Putin to withdraw his army from Ukraine.
In addition, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to Francis' statement. "When the Russian evil started this war on February 24, all Ukrainians stood up to defend themselves. Christians, Muslims, Jews - everyone. And I thank every Ukrainian chaplain who is with the army, in the Defense Forces. There, on the front line. They protect life and humanity. They support us with prayer, words and deeds," he said.
Commenting on the Pope's statement, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that "surrender is not peace."
On March 11, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine Visvaldas Kulbokas was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because of Pope Francis' statement that "Ukraine should raise the white flag and start negotiations with Russia."