Japanese government responds to Pope's statement: Ukraine's will must be respected
The will of Ukraine should be respected, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said, commenting on the Pope's words about the "white flag" of Ukraine, Nikkei reported on March 11.
"How we approach negotiations that will determine the future of Ukraine, including the nature of ceasefire negotiations, must depend on the will of the Ukrainian people," he said.
The Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary also condemned the start of early voting in the Russian Presidential election in the occupied territories of Ukraine, saying that "holding elections based on illegal annexation is never acceptable."
In a recent interview with the Swiss broadcaster RSI, Pope Francis said that "the strongest will be the one who has the courage to raise the white flag" and that "negotiating is courageous." He also called for negotiations "before it is too late."
After Francis' words caused outcry, the head of the Vatican Press Service, Matteo Bruni, explained the Pope's statement, noting that he had picked up the image of "a white flag to signify the cessation of hostilities, a truce that should be achieved through the courage to negotiate" suggested by a journalist.
Francis' scandalous statement also sparked a reaction from Poland and Latvia, among others.
In response to the Pope's words, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine's flag is blue and yellow, and "we will not raise other flags."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Pope Francis' calls. He said that the white walls of houses and churches in Ukraine destroyed by Russian munitions "speak very eloquently about who should stop" to end the war.
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