On 11 March, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine Visvaldas Kulbokas was summoned to the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine because of Pope Francis's statements in the media.
According to the Foreign Media website, Kulbokas was told that Ukraine is disappointed with the Pontiff's words about the "white flag" and the need to "show courage and negotiate" with the Russians.
The Foreign Ministry noted that "instead of calls that legalise the right of the strong and encourage them to further disregard international law, the head of the Holy See would have been expected to send signals to the international community about the need to immediately join forces to ensure the victory of good over evil, as well as to appeal to the attacker, not the victim".
The Foreign Ministry stressed that Ukraine, like no other country, seeks peace, but this peace must be just and based on the principles of the UN Charter and the Peace Formula.