This Sunday, Ukraine criticized Pope Francis for suggesting in an interview that Kyiv should “raise the white flag” and begin negotiations with Russia. “Our only flag is yellow and blue. This is the flag under which we live, die and conquer. We will never raise any other flag,” Ukrainian Dmytro Kuleba told ME, calling on the Pope to “take the side of good.” “When it comes to white flags, we know well what the Vatican’s strategy was in the first half of the twentieth century. We hope that it will not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he emphasized. In the interview, the Supreme Pontiff says that “it is necessary to have the courage to negotiate before the situation worsens.” “The strongest are those who assess the situation, think about the people and have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate,” adding that “negotiation is a bold word, and when we see that we are defeated, we need to take courage.” negotiate.” The Vatican later clarified that by using the expression “white flag”, the Pope only wanted to “indicate a cessation of hostilities, a truce.”