Pope Francis urged Ukraine and Russia to engage in negotiations to end the two-year war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis in his Christmas message on Wednesday called for talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the war that followed Moscow's full-scale invasion two years ago and has killed tens of thousands.In his Christmas Day 'Urbi et Orbi' (to the city and world) address, Francis mentioned the Ukraine conflict directly and called for 'the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation.'Speaking from the central balcony of St.
Peter's Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, the pope said: 'May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine!' He also called for 'gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.'Francis, who has been pope since 2013, was criticized by Ukrainian officials this year when he said the country should have the courage of the 'white flag' to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had previously ruled out engaging in peace talks without the restoration of Ukraine's pre-war borders. But Zelenskiy has shown an increasing willingness in the weeks since Donald Trump's re-election as US president to enter negotiations.Earlier in December, Zelenskiy raised the idea of a diplomatic settlement that would involve a 'freezing' of the current battle lines and the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine. Russia has demanded that Ukraine abandon its ambitions to join the NATO military alliance.The 88-year-old Francis, celebrating the 12th Christmas of his pontificate, called for an end to conflicts, political, social or military, in places including Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.Gaza situation 'extremely grave'Francis, who has recently grown more critical of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, describing it last week as 'cruelty,' also renewed his call for a ceasefire and for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hama
POPE FRANCIS UKRAINE RUSSIA CHRISTMAS WAR
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