NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made it clear yesterday that he does not agree with Pope Francis' comments that Ukraine should have the "white flag courage" and negotiate an end to the war caused by the Russian invasion.
When asked about the Pope's statement, Stoltenberg said in an interview with Reuters: "If we want a permanent peace solution through negotiations, the way to get there is to provide military support to Ukraine."
In a conversation at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Stoltenberg said that "what happens at the negotiating table is inextricably linked to the strength on the front".
When asked if his reaction means that now is not the time to talk about the white flag, Stoltenberg said: "It is not the time to talk about the surrender of the Ukrainians." That would be a tragedy for Ukrainians. It would also be dangerous for all of us”.
The Pope's statement, given in an interview with the Swiss RSI, met with fierce criticism from Kyiv. Ukraine's foreign minister said the country "will never raise any other flag" except the national blue-yellow flag.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, rejected the comments of the head of the Catholic Church, saying that in this way he was engaging in "virtual mediation".
The Vatican announced that the head of the Roman Catholic Church did not speak "about the end of the war through capitulation but through negotiations".
The Kremlin announced yesterday that Pope Francis' call for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine is quite reasonable and that Russia is ready to sit down at the negotiating table, but that Kiev is rejecting the negotiations due to the mistaken attitude that the West can defeat Ukraine.
If we want a permanent peace solution through negotiations, the way to get there is to provide military support to Ukraine, Stoltenberg said
"It is quite understandable that he speaks in favor of the negotiations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "Unfortunately, the statements of the Pope and the statements of other parties, including ours, have recently met with a strong rejection".
In an interview with the British agency, Stoltenberg distanced himself from French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron's statement that Western allies should not reject the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine.
"NATO is not planning to send troops to Ukraine. NATO is not a party to the conflict, nor a NATO ally," said Stoltenberg.
He added that even if some of the NATO members individually sent troops to Ukraine, it would affect the alliance as a whole due to the member's obligation on collective defense.
When asked if Macron was wrong when he spoke of "strategic uncertainty" regarding the possible sending of Western troops to Ukraine, Stoltenberg said: "I think it is important that we consult and have a common approach to these important topics because they concern us all ".
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