Pope Francis: Ukraine should have the courage of the ‘white flag,’ negotiate end of war with Russia

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has said in an interview that Ukraine, facing possible defeat, should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and not be ashamed to sit at the same table to carry out peace talks. The pope made his appeal during an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, which was partially released on Saturday. “I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates,” Francis said. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni stressed that Francis was picking up the “white flag” term that had been used by the interviewer.