White flag scandal: ambassador to Vatican calls on Pope to visit Ukraine

He said this on Sky TG24.

"At any moment, if the Holy Father decides to visit Ukraine, it will be very important not only for the country, but will become a signal, a symbol for the whole world," the diplomat said.

Commenting on the Pope's statement that "Ukraine should raise the white flag," Yurash said: “We do not agree and cannot accept the symbol of the white flag. We stand on the same line of peace and negotiations, and Ukraine has already taken important steps in this direction.”

At the same time, the ambassador said that the Vatican Secretary of State's explanation was “very helpful in understanding the Pope's position.”

Earlier, Pope Francis explained why he is not going to Ukraine.

The Pope and the ''white flag'': what is known

The Pope gave an interview in which he said that Ukraine should have the courage to raise the white flag and start negotiations with Russia. The Vatican tried to justify Pope Francis.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs believes that “raising the white flag” as a sign of surrender is evil and that he must first be defeated, while Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has appealed to the Pope to encourage Putin to withdraw his army from Ukraine.

In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted 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, conversation, 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.”