In an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI and partially released on Saturday, Francis used the phrase "the courage of the white flag" as he argued that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should be open to peace talks brokered by international powers.
"How about, for balance, encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine?
Peace would immediately ensue without the need for negotiations," Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski responded with a post on X, formerly Twitter.
His post on X appeared to compare the pope's comments to calls for "talking with Hitler" while raising "a white flag to satisfy him."
Matteo Bruni said that the journalist interviewing Francis used the term "white flag" in the question that prompted the controversial remarks.
Persons:
Pope Francis, Francis, Putin, Radek Sikorski, Sikorski, Adolf Hitler, Andrii, Hitler, Matteo Bruni, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Shevchuk
Organizations:
RSI, Vatican, NATO, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Locations:
Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Vatican, Swiss, Kyiv, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, New York City, Russian, Bucha, St