The Pope declared the “imperial interests” of different countries in the conflict in Ukraine

The conflict in Ukraine involves the “imperial interests” of various countries, not just Russia. About it declared Pope Francis in an interview with La Repubblica.

“Imperial interests are involved there, not only Russian, but also other empires. It’s in the imperial spirit to sideline nations,” he said.

The Pontiff called the Ukrainian conflict “the current world war.” According to him, “all major powers” are involved in the fighting, and Ukraine has become a “battlefield”. The Pope also condemned the production and supply of weapons.

The pontiff recalled that as soon as the special operation began, he personally came to the Russian embassy to the Holy See, declaring his readiness to go to Moscow if the Russian authorities agreed to negotiations. In an interview, the Pope confirmed his desire to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and called him a “cultured man.”

Earlier, the pontiff repeatedly called on Russia and Ukraine to stop hostilities and sit down at the negotiating table. If in September 2022 the Pope considered “morally permissible” to supply weapons to Ukraine for the defense of the country, then in January he criticized the sending of tanks to Kyiv, noting that “this is a road to nowhere.”

December 18 in an interview with ABC Francis declaredthat the fighting in Ukraine is a world war, and stressed that “many hands interfere with the cauldron of war.” On December 25, in his traditional Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) Christmas address in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, he urged stop hostilities in Ukraine, as well as remember all the protracted conflicts in other countries.