NATO chief: Ukraine needs weapons, not white flags

2024-03-11 18:00:04, Kosova & Bota CNA

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg hit back at comments by Pope Francis who said Ukraine must have the "courage of the white flag" while suggesting Kiev should open talks with Moscow on an end to the war it has sparked from the Russian invasion.

Asked about these comments, Stoltenberg told Reuters that "if we want a durable negotiated peace solution, the way to get there is to provide military support to Ukraine."

"This is not the time to talk about surrender by the Ukrainians. That would be a tragedy for the Ukrainians. It would also be dangerous for all of us," Stoltenberg said in an interview at NATO headquarters in Brussels, after being asked if his reaction meant that now is not the time to talk about a white flag.

The Russian occupation of Ukraine has entered its third year.

For his statements made during an interview, Pope Francis was also criticized by Ukraine and its regional allies.

The Vatican later tried to retract some of the sentences, saying Francis was not talking about "capitulation".

Francis has suggested, during an interview partially published on March 9, that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should have the "courage" to sit down and talk with Russia for peace, saying that it is not a shame to wave the "white flag".

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, criticized Francis - without mentioning his name - saying that "the church should be with the people. And, not 2,500 kilometers away, somewhere, to mediate virtually between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you".

Zelensky has insisted that he will not talk directly with Russia unless the conditions of his "formula" for peace are met.

Ukraine's demands for peace are that Russia withdraw all its troops from Ukraine, return its borders to the era after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and that Russia be held accountable for its actions.

After criticism of the pope, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni explained that, in his words about Ukraine, Francis meant to "call for a ceasefire and for the return of courage for talks" and that he did not mean capitulation.

Ukraine's regional allies also expressed anger at the pope's comments.

"How do you say, as a balance, we encourage Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine? Peace would prevail immediately without the need for talks," said Polish Foreign Minister Radosla Sikorski.

The President of Lithuania, Edgars Rinkevichs, wrote on social networks: "My conclusion for this Sunday: You cannot surrender to the evil, you must fight and defeat it, so that the evil will raise the white flag and surrender."

Alexandra Valkenburg, Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to the Holy See, wrote:

"Russia... can end this war immediately while respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The EU supports Ukraine and its plan for peace".

Jens Stoltenberg also distanced himself on Monday from French President Emmanuel Macron's statement that Western allies should not rule out troop deployments in Ukraine.

"NATO has no plans to send troops to Ukraine and NATO is not a party to the conflict," Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg said that even if individual NATO countries send troops to Ukraine, it would affect the alliance as a whole as its members are bound by a collective defense pact.