Zelensky Rips The Pope, Rejects Call For Peace Talks

"In his address to the nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Pope Francis' calls for Kiev to enter peace negotiations with Russia to end the war. Zelensky didn't mention Francis by name, but he clearly took shots at the leader of the world's Catholics. "They support us with prayer, with their discussion and with deeds," the Ukraine president said. "This is indeed what a church with the people is."
"Not 2,500km away, somewhere, virtual mediation between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you," he continued with the dig. European media described Zelensky's comments as a sharp rejection of the call for negotiations. Ukraine officials have taken particular offense at Pope Francis essentially declaring that Ukraine's military has been defeated by Russia. But it was Ukraine's ambassador to the Vatican, Andrii Yurash, who had the fiercest condemnation. He said there will be no "peace talking with Hitler". He continued: “If we want to finish [the] war, we have to do everything to kill [the] dragon.” ZH