Pope Francis delivered his traditional Christmas message on Sunday from St.
“May the Lord inspire us to give signs of unity to help all those who are suffering, and enlighten the minds of those who have the power to stop the thunder of weapons and stop in this stupid war.” said.
Remembering that Bethlehem means “house of bread,” the 86-year-old pontiff called on the world to remember the children who are hungry today when so much food is wasted, resources are spent on weapons. Ukraine has worsened the world’s hunger, especially in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, which are facing severe hunger, he said that food is used as a weapon of war by disrupting the distribution to the deceased person.
“Today, let us learn from the leader of peace and – starting with those who hold political responsibilities – work hard to make food a tool for peace,” he said.
In an interview released on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine, but Kyiv and its Western backers are no longer to access information.
The Kremlin says it will fight to achieve its goals and Kyiv says it will not rest until all Russian troops are expelled from all parts of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. .
“We are ready to communicate with everyone about acceptable solutions, but they have their own – we are not the ones who do not want to negotiate; they are,” Putin said. told Rossiya 1 state television in an interview.
An adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Putin should return to the truth and admit that Russia does not want negotiations.
“Russia attacked Ukraine alone and killed people,” Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. “Russia does not want negotiations but tries to avoid responsibility.” He cited the CIA’s assessment before December that Russia was not yet convinced of a real negotiation to end the war.
Putin insisted that Russia was doing the “right thing” in Ukraine because the West, led by the United States, was trying to isolate Russia. Washington denies that it intends to defeat Russia.
“I believe that we are doing the right thing; we are protecting our national interests, the interests of our citizens, our people. And there is no other option but to protect our citizens,” he said.
On Tuesday morning, the Reuters news agency reported that air sirens sounded in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, across the country, in response to Russian planes flying into Belarus.
On Christmas Eve, Russia launched a missile strike in the center of Kherson in southern Ukraine, killing at least 10 people and injuring 55. Sixteen people were killed in Kherson and Kherson Oblast that day, said the regional governor, Yaroslav Yanushevich.
Zelenskyy condemned the Russian attack on Kherson, saying the attack was “terror; killing for fear and pleasure.”
A rocket landed next to a supermarket in the city of Kherson, Yuriy Sobolevskyi, first deputy head of the Kherson Oblast Council, said in a Telegram post. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, 66 cars were burned after the shooting.
Photos of the attack – burning cars and what appeared to be corpses – were on the president’s Telegram account.
“Social networks mark these photos as ‘sensitive content,'” Zelenskyy wrote. “But these are not sensitive things – it is the real life of Ukraine and Ukrainians.”
In a video message to Ukrainians celebrating Christmas late Saturday, Zelenskyy said they are creating their own Christmas miracle by staying calm and nonviolent in the face of attacks by Russia.
“We endured the beginning of the war – we endured the attacks, the terror, the nuclear weapons, the terror, the missiles. We endure this winter because we know that what are we fighting for,” he said.
“Food at the family table cannot be so sweet and warm. There may be empty chairs around. And our houses and streets are not very bright,” he said.
But he said that the path of the Ukrainian people is defined by faith and tolerance.
Some information for this article came from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
