Pope Francis This Saturday he made some controversial statements addressed to the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, asking have “courage” to raise the “white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia. Some words that he has qualified after the indignation of the Ukrainians.

The Pontiff declared in an interview with the Swiss radio station RSI his interest in seeing a negotiation between Ukraine and Russia: “It is stronger that he sees the situation, that he thinks about the people, that he has the courage of the white flag, to negotiate. Today you can negotiate with the help of international powers. The word negotiate is brave.”

“When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you must have the courage to negotiate. You are ashamed, but how many dead will it end up with? Negotiate in time, look for some countries to mediate. In the war in Ukraine, there are many. Turkey has offered, and others. Don’t be ashamed to negotiate before it gets worse.“said the Pontiff.

The Ukrainian Embassy before the Holy See he responded this Sunday to the Pope that during the Second World War no one spoke “of peace negotiations with Hitler“, in a clear example of Ukrainian indignation over Francis’ words.

For this reason, the Holy See clarified this Sunday that the pope “does not speak of surrender but of negotiation,” according to what Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told Vatican News: “The pope uses the term white flag, and responds by taking the image proposed by the interviewer, to indicate with it the cessation of hostilities, the truce reached with the value of negotiation. At another point in the interview, talking about another conflict situation, but referring to any war situation, the pope clearly states: ‘negotiation is never surrender‘”.