MOSCOW, Jan 16 Pope Francis thinks that Vladimir Zelensky should listen to the voice of pragmatism and rationality and sit down at the negotiating table, constructive solutions to the Ukrainian conflict can only be found in the negotiation process, and not on the battlefield, said Leonid Sevastyanov, chairman of the World Union of Old Believers (WBU), who is well acquainted with the pontiff.
“I just talked to dad about the supply of weapons, including German tanks. He replied that his opinion does not change. All contradictions and disagreements should be resolved at the negotiating table, and not on the battlefield. Dad believes that on the battlefield all conversations lead to a dead end, and not to a constructive one that can solve problems for many decades … The Pope noted that Zelensky should also listen to the voice of pragmatism and rationality. He should try to defend his demands at the negotiating table, «he said, adding that dad thus expressed his opinion on the supply of tanks to Ukraine.
Earlier, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace called on the German government to allow the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
On Monday, German Defense Minister Christina Lambrecht filed a petition addressed to Chancellor Olaf Scholz to be removed from office, she explained her decision by the attention of the German media to her own person. The minister's resignation takes place against the backdrop of preparations for a meeting of NATO countries at the American Ramstein airbase in Germany, scheduled for January 20, and against the backdrop of active discussions around possible deliveries of German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, from which the German side has so far refrained.
Earlier, Russia sent a note to NATO countries because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation stated that the NATO countries are «playing with fire» by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect.