Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Edit post

Pope's call for Ukraine's surrender receives criticism from Scholz, Stoltenberg

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk March 11, 2024 5:32 PM 3 min read
Pope Francis delivers his Sunday Angelus blessing overlooking St. Peter's Square on July 30, 2023, in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo credit: Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Pope Francis' call for Ukraine to "not be ashamed to negotiate" with Russia received critical responses from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO General Jens Stoltenberg on March 11.

In an interview with Swiss broadcaster RSI that was partially released on March 9, Pope Francis said that Ukraine should have the "courage" to negotiate peace with Russia and raise the "white flag."

President Volodymyr Zelensky responded in his nightly address on March 10 without mentioning the Pope directly, saying that Russia is "not moving further into Europe only because they are being held back by Ukrainians with weapons in their hands and under the blue and yellow flag."

Olaf Scholz "does not agree with the pope on this question," German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told reporters on March 11. "Ukraine is defending itself against an aggressor."

German Defense Minister Annalena Baerbock told a German talk show on the evening of March 10 that she did not understand the Pope's remarks.  

"I think you can only understand some things if you see them yourself," Baerbock said, referencing that she has visited Ukraine multiple times since the start of the full-scale invasion.

After 10 years of war, Krasnohorivka in new danger as Russia advances in the east
Editor’s note: Due to fear caused by the tense environment in Krasnohorivka and the possibility of their city being occupied by Russian forces in the future, some subjects interviewed declined to give their last names. KRASNOHORIVKA, DONETSK OBLAST – On the streets of the small industrial city of K…

"We must stand by Ukraine and do everything we can to ensure that it can defend itself," Baerbock said.

"Surrender is not peace," Stoltenberg remarked during a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to mark Sweden's accession into the alliance on March 11.

"We must continue to strengthen Ukraine to show (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that he will not get what he wants on the battlefield but must sit down and negotiate a solution where Ukraine is recognized and prevails as a sovereign, independent nation," Stoltenberg said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis appeared to reference the Pope's comments when he posted on X about "20 Days in Mariupol," which won the Oscar for Best Documentary on March 10.

The film is "compulsory viewing for anyone who wants to know what Russian 'peace' looks like," Landsbergis wrote on March 11. "Watch it and understand why Ukraine will never give up."

Andrii Yurash, the ambassador of Ukraine to the Vatican, told Radio Svoboda on March 11 that the comments reflected Pope Francis' personal views and "do not reflect the position" of the Vatican.

Yurash added that the Pope has been invited to Ukraine multiple times. Zelensky met Pope Francis during a visit to the Vatican in May 2023.

In a statement released following the publication of the interview, the director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni, clarified that the Pope didn't call for Ukraine's surrender, but for a ceasefire and negotiations. "His hope is a diplomatic solution for a just and lasting peace," Bruni said.

Opinion: 6 obstacles to peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia
There is consensus among observers of Russia’s war against Ukraine that it should end as soon as possible. Most Ukrainians couldn’t agree more. Today, one suspects, many Russians would also not mind ceasing the carnage. Why, then, is there still not – and likely will not be any time

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

11:51 PM

Trump 'very surprised, disappointed' at Russian attacks on Ukraine amid peace talks.

"I've gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office. "All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don't like being surprised, so I'm very disappointed in that way."
5:10 PM

All territory will revert to Ukraine, predicts US diplomat.

The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sits down with Michael Carpenter, former U.S. Ambassador to OSCE and senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, to discuss the current lagging U.S. military support for Ukraine amid the ongoing ceasefire talks with Russia. Carpenter also offers his predictions for the future of Ukraine’s occupied territories.
10:10 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure 39 over past day.

Ukrainian forces downed 26 out of the 90 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Thirty drones were intercepted by electronic warfare or disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the statement.
9:21 AM

NATO expansion 'fair' concern for Putin, Kellogg says.

"And that's one of the issues Russia will bring up... They're also talking about Georgia, they're talking about Moldova, they're talking — obviously — about Ukraine. And we're saying, 'Okay, let's address this comprehensively,'" U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.