Pope Francis warned on Tuesday that attempts to achieve peace in Ukraine without Europe’s involvement are "unrealistic," and expressed concern that U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan carries the risk of "huge changes" in the transatlantic alliance, LETA reported, citing AFP.
The Pope, originally from the United States, also noted that the statements made in the interview about Europe "attempt to undermine what I believe should be an extremely important alliance — both now and in the future."
On Tuesday, Pope Francis met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. After the meeting, he told reporters that he had not yet fully reviewed the latest U.S. proposal to end the Russian war against Ukraine.
"Unfortunately, the fragments I have seen suggest huge changes in what has been a real alliance between Europe and the United States for many years," the pontiff noted.
"The statements about Europe made in recent interviews, in my opinion, are aimed at undermining the alliance that must remain extremely important both now and in the future," he added.
Trump escalated tensions in relations with Europe in an interview published on Tuesday by Politico, calling Europe "weak" and "falling apart" on immigration and support for Ukraine.
There are serious disagreements between Washington and its allies in Europe regarding Trump’s peace plan. Many European governments fear that this plan will force Ukraine to cede territory to Russia.
"Trying to reach a peace agreement without involving Europe in the discussion is, let’s say, unrealistic," the Pope emphasized.
"The war is happening in Europe, and I believe that Europe must be involved in providing security guarantees — both now and in the future. Unfortunately, not everyone understands this," he added.
In response to a question about whether he would accept Zelensky's invitation to visit Ukraine, Pope Francis replied, "I hope so." However, he warned that it is currently impossible to say when such a trip might take place.
