In an interview with CBS News, the Pope was asked if he had a message for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
He replied that a negotiated peace was “better than endless war”.
“Please, countries at war, stop the war. Seek negotiations. Seek peace,” the pope said.
He emphasized that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had devastating consequences for Ukrainian children.
“These children don’t know how to smile. I tell them something, but they have forgotten how to smile. And it’s very difficult when a child forgets to smile. It’s really, really serious,” Francis added.
At the end of March, Pope Francis has repeatedly called for negotiations on ending the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.
The Pope recently drew criticism for calling on those involved in the war in Ukraine to “start negotiations before the situation worsens” and urged Ukrainians to be brave and be able to sit down at the negotiating table with the aggressor country.
Kyiv, which has been fighting Russian aggression for two years, reacted to Francis’ remarks with outrage, summoning the Vatican’s representative in Ukraine and saying it would never surrender.
