Hranchak Weighs In on Pope Francis’s ‘White Flag’ Comment About Ukraine in GlobalSecurity Article

March 20, 2024

GlobalSecurity.org

Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs

Conflict

International Affairs

Russia

Ukraine

GlobalSecurity.org

Ukrainian and allied officials have criticized Pope Francis’s remarks, interpreting his call for Kyiv to have “courage” to negotiate an end to the war with Russia as advocating for Ukraine to surrender. The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland, a staunch supporter of Kyiv, condemned the pope’s statement.

“Unfortunately, the end of the war in Ukraine at the expense of Ukraine does not automatically mean either peace or an end of human losses,” Tetiana Hranchak, visiting assistant teaching professor in the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, tells GlobalSecurity.org.

“Putin's global goal is to divide the world into spheres of influence and regain control over at least part of Europe. Therefore, the peace is possible under two conditions: either the defeat of Russia and its rejection of the global goal, or the “courage” of Western countries to agree with the Kremlin's demands, at least those outlined in the December 2021 ultimatum,” she says.