VATICAN CITY: In his Christmas address on Wednesday, December 25, Pope Francis called for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to put an end to the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people since Moscow’s full-scale invasion two years ago.
Pope Francis specifically addressed the violence in Ukraine in his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) speech on Christmas Day, urging “the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation.”
“May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine!” the pope shouted as he addressed thousands of people in the square below from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. He additionally urged “gestures of dialogue and encounter, to achieve a just and lasting peace.
Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had stated that he would not participate in peace negotiations until Ukraine’s pre-war borders were restored. However, Zelenskyy has become more open to talks in the weeks following Donald Trump’s reelection as US president.
The “freezing” of the existing fighting lines and the deployment of foreign forces in Ukraine are two aspects of a diplomatic settlement that Zelenskyy brought up earlier in December. Russia has urged Ukraine to give up its plans to join the NATO military alliance.
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