Pope Francis says liberation of Ukraine’s territories is a “political problem”

Pope Francis has once again commented on the war in Ukraine, stating that the return of the occupied Ukrainian territories by Russia is a "political problem" to be resolved by both sides.

According to his interview with Telemundo, Ukraine's authorities allegedly "do not even dream of peace negotiations with Russia" since it has great power with joint Western help.

At the same time, he did not assert that Russia should return the occupied territories to Ukraine to achieve peace.

This (territory de-occupation – ed.) is a political problem. Peace will be achieved once they can talk to each other, face to face or through intermediaries. If they don't talk, it's a political problem, Reuters quotes him.

Ukraine's representatives have repeatedly mentioned the conditions of any negotiations with Russia. For dialogue, Moscow must withdraw all its troops from the occupied territories.

At the same time, last year, President Zelensky passed a decision of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council regarding the impossibility of negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Presumably, this is the mission the Pope mentioned during his visit to Hungary in April, but details have not been disclosed yet.

Following the meeting with Pope Francis,  Zelensky stated that he had received a signal of support for the Ukrainian peace formula.

The Pope is known for several scandalous statements about Russia's war against Ukraine. In particular, he noted that cruelty is allegedly not defining the Russian people.

Pope Francis also equated Russian and Ukrainian mothers who lost their children in the war.