German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has strongly criticized Pope Francis' call for Ukraine to negotiate with Moscow, saying she does not understand his position, AFP reports.
The Pope caused a stir over the weekend after saying in an interview with Swiss television that one must "have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate," two years after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"I don't understand it," Baerbock said in a talk show on public broadcaster ARD.
"I think you can only understand some things if you see them for yourself," added Baerbock, who has traveled to Kiev several times since the war began.
She said that when she talks to children in Ukraine who are suffering from the war, she says to herself, "I wonder, 'Where is the Pope? The Pope should know about these things."
Baerbock said that if Ukraine and its allies "don't show strength now, there will be no peace."
"We need to support Ukraine and do everything we can to make sure it can defend itself," she added.
Germany is the second-largest provider of military aid to Ukraine after the United States.
Kiev reacted angrily to the Pope's call for a "white flag", with Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba saying his country would "never" surrender.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also hit back at the comments.
Ukrainians of all faiths stood up to defend their country when Russia invaded, he said in his evening address on 10 March.
"Christians, Muslims, Jews - everyone... They support us with prayers, talks and deeds. This is the church - with the people. And not two and a half thousand kilometers from here, somewhere where they call for mediation between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy him."/ BGNES
