«The one who sees the situation, the one who thinks about the people, the one who has the courage to raise the white flag and to negotiate is stronger. Today we can negotiate with the help of international powers. The word negotiate is courageous. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you need to have the courage to negotiate. You are ashamed, but with how many deaths will it end? Negotiate in time, look for some country to act as a mediator. In the war in Ukraine, there are many. Turkey offered. And other. Don't be ashamed to negotiate before things get worse.”
Pope Francis says this in an interview with Swiss Radio and Television. When asked if he himself has proposed himself to negotiate in the current conflicts, the Pope responds: «I am here, period. I sent a letter to the Jews of Israel to reflect on this situation. Negotiation is never a surrender. It is the courage not to lead the country to suicide. The Ukrainians, with the history that they have, poor things, the Ukrainians at Stalin's time, how much they suffered….” The Pope then reiterates his philosophy on the origins of wars: “The arms industry is always behind it.”
«This is a collective sin – says Francis -. The bursar told me, a month ago, you gave me the report on how things were in the Vatican, always in deficit, do you know where today there are the investments that give the most income? The weapons factory. You earn to kill. More income: the weapons factory. The war is terrible.” «I always say this – he adds -: when I was at Redipuglia in 2014 I cried. Then the same thing happened to me in Anzio, then every November 2nd I go to celebrate in a cemetery. Last time I went to the British cemetery and looked at the ages of the boys. I've already said this, but I'll say it again: when the Normandy landings were commemorated, all the heads of government celebrated that date but no one said that as many as 20,000 kids remained on that beach.”
Moscow: “Russia has no intention of assassinating Zelensky”
Russia has no intention of assassinating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: this was stated by the first deputy permanent Russian representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, as reported by Tass. «Do you really think that if we wanted to hit Zelensky's motorcade we wouldn't have succeeded? Try to answer this question, but be honest,” Polyansky said, referring to the Russian missile attack on Odessa last Wednesday, when Zelensky met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the port city.
«Especially considering that you all know well that a similar strike (on military facilities in Odessa, ed.) destroyed a production center for marine drones, where they were assembled from components supplied by the United Kingdom», he added, speaking at the session of the Council of United Nations Security on Ukraine.
“That target was much more important for us compared to Zelensky, who continues to wander along the front area taking selfies in the cities before they are liberated by Russian troops,” the diplomat commented. “If any of you hope to get rid of the leader of the Kiev regime in this way, I should disappoint you: this is not in our plans,” concluded Polyansky.