"Raising the white flag"

Vatican rows back after Pope’s statement after all

Following Pope Francis' controversial statement that Ukraine should raise the white flag and negotiate with Russia, the Vatican is now rowing back after all. The Vatican's number two found clear words on Tuesday.

The Vatican is pushing for a ceasefire and "first of all, the aggressors should stop the shelling", said Cardinal Pietro Parolin in an interview with the newspaper "Corriere della Sera" published on Tuesday. This is the first condition for negotiations to end the war.

Papal nuncio summoned
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry had previously summoned the papal nuncio in Kiev on Monday to express its "disappointment" at Francis' statements.

"White flag", "courage to negotiate"
The Pope had advised Ukraine to have the courage to raise a "white flag" and negotiate an end to the war with Russia. "When you see that you are being defeated, that things are not going well, you must have the courage to negotiate," said the head of the Catholic Church. Criticism of the statements came from all sides.