“Our flag is yellow and blue.” Kiev criticizes the Pope’s call to surrender to Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba criticized Pope Francis' call for Kiev to raise the white flag in its war against Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba criticized Pope Francis' call for Kiev to raise the white flag in its war against Russia, calling on the Vatican to avoid repeating past mistakes and support Ukraine and its people in their just struggle for survival.

Kuliba said in a post on the X platform on Sunday: “Our flag is yellow and blue, and for it we live and die. We will never raise any other flags.”

On Saturday, Pope Francis said that Ukraine must be courageous, raise the white flag and agree to sit at the negotiating table to end the war.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Sunday, rejected the invitation of Pope Francis, Pope of the Vatican, to negotiate with Russia, describing it as “virtual mediation” from afar.

In his video evening speech, Zelensky did not directly refer to the pope or his statement, but he said the pope's thoughts had nothing to do with efforts by religious figures in Ukraine to help the country.

“They support us with prayer, with their discussions, with actions, This is really what the church should do for people,” Zelensky said.

"(But) not 2,500 kilometers away, somewhere, a virtual mediation is taking place between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you," he added.

Earlier Sunday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Kiev will never surrender, in response to Pope Francis' call for Ukraine to show "the courage of the white flag" and negotiate an end to the war with Russia.

Pope Francis made this statement in an interview, an excerpt of which was published on Saturday. The Pope responded to an interviewer’s question in which he used the expression “white flag” by saying: “I believe that the strongest is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people, has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates.”

Kuliba said on the social media platform

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, conditioning its end on Kiev’s “renunciation” of plans to join military entities, which the latter considers “interference” in its sovereignty.