Pope Francis has called for an end to the war in Ukraine, denouncing in his traditional Christmas message the use of food as a weapon in the conflict, while the Russian president has stated that his country is ready to negotiate with all parties to the conflict in Ukraine on the “acceptable” solutions.
The Vatican Pope addressed the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, where some of them raised Ukrainian flags before blessing “the city and the world”. The pope’s message, delivered on Christmas Day from the balcony of St. Peter’s basilica, usually focuses on peace and is broadcast around the world. Pope Francis, 86, addressed Sunday earlier to the “Ukrainian brothers and sisters who experienced Christmas in the dark and in the cold (…) due to the devastation caused by the ten worst wars”, referring to several countries that are going through difficulties this Christmas, including Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Burma, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Lebanon and Haiti. He called for “reconciliation” for the first time in Iran, shaken by protests led by women for three months.
In a related context, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Moscow is ready to deal with all parties to the conflict Ukraineon acceptable solutions, but they reject it. Putin underlined, during an exclusive interview for the “Moscow Kremlin Putin” program on the “Russia 1″ channel, that his country is acting correctly and in the interests of its people, the Russian news agency reported today ” Sputnik”.
Putin considered that Moscow protects its national interests and the interests of the people and that it has no other choice. Putin added in the interview that Russia would destroy Patriot air defense systems if the United States supplies them to Ukraine, according to Russian news agency Tass. “Of course, we will eliminate it completely,” Putin said. Putin added that his country is on track in the conflict in Ukraine, despite the escalation of tensions with the West.
However, the death toll from the Russian attacks on the city of “Kherson” in southern Ukraine has risen to 16, with another 64 injured, according to the head of the military administration of the Kherson region, Yaroslav Yanushevich, today, Sunday , while in Ukraine sounded warning sirens of air strikes on Christmas Eve. Among the dead were three men who died during demining, according to Janusevic on the Telegram app. Ukraine accused Russia of shelling the city, which was under Russian occupation, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Yesterday, Saturday, Yanushevich set the death toll at 10 and the wounded at 55. And the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has published images of corpses scattered in the center of the city, the capital of the Ukrainian region of the same name. and reported Zelenskyhe described the attack as another Russian crime, saying there were no military targets in the area. “This is killing for terror and pleasure,” she added, “the world should see the absolute evil we are fighting.” Russia announced last fall that it would annex the region, before Ukrainian forces retook the city as Russian forces retreated to the other side of the ‘Dnipro’ river. According to Ukrainian sources, they shelled the city from there with artillery.
HH/MS (AFP, DPA, Reuters)
