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Military operation in Ukraine

Zelensky criticizes Pope Francis’s white flag call as 'virtual mediation'

The president thanked Ukrainian religious figures for supporting the Ukrainian military "with prayer and discussion" and said that "this is indeed what `a church with the people’ is, unlike virtual mediation 2,500 km away"

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky Valery Sharufulin/TASS

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky

© Valery Sharufulin/TASS

MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has dismissed Pope Francis’s proposal for peace in Ukraine as "virtual mediation".

Zelensky thanked Ukrainian religious figures for supporting the Ukrainian military "with prayer and discussion." "This is indeed what `a church with the people’ is, unlike virtual mediation 2,500 km away," the Ukrainian leader said in his nighty video address posted on his Telegram channel.

A day earlier, the Roman Catholic pontiff urged Kiev to "have the courage of the white flag." "The strongest one is the one who thinks about the people and has the courage to raise the white flag and start negotiations," Pope Francis said. Later, Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said that the Pope had picked up the image of the white flag as he hoped for "a just and lasting peace."

Commenting on the pontiff’s remark about the white flag, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Ukraine has its own flag and that it will not raise any other flags.

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Ukraine Pope Francis Vladimir Zelensky Military operation in Ukraine

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