Ukraine rebuffs Pope Francis calling for talks with Russia

Ukrainian servicemen from air defence unit of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade fire an anti aircraft cannon at a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Bakhmut, Ukraine March 6, 2024. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via REUTERS

(Reuters) -Ukraine on Sunday rebuffed Pope Francis's call to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying the pontiff was engaging in "virtual mediation" and his foreign minister saying Kyiv would never capitulate.

Francis said that when things were going badly for a party to a conflict one had to show the "courage of the white flag" and negotiate. The pope's interview was believed to be the first time Francis has used terms like "white flag" or "defeated" in discussing the Ukraine war, though he has referred in the past to the need for talks.