Ukraine’s foreign minister reacted to Pope’s words about ‘white flag’

Source: Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba responded to the statement of Pope Francis regarding the need to ‘raise a white flag’ for negotiations with the Russian Federation.

He reminded the pontiff that the flag of Ukraine is blue and yellow, so Ukrainians will not raise another one.

Kuleba emphasized that the strongest person is the one who takes the side of good in the battle between good and evil, and does not try to equalize them, calling it ‘negotiations’.

‘As for the white flag, we know this Vatican strategy from the history of the first half of the 20th century. I urge you not to repeat historical mistakes and to consistently support Ukraine and its people in a fair fight for their own lives. Our flag is blue and yellow. Under it we live, die and win. We will not raise other flags,’ the minister wrote.

At the same time, he thanked His Holiness Pope Francis for his constant prayers for peace and expressed hope that after two years of devastating war in the heart of Europe, the Pope will find an opportunity to make an Apostolic visit to Ukraine to ‘support more than a million Ukrainian Catholics, more than five million Greek Catholics, all Christians and all Ukrainians’.

After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.

Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.

On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.

Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the frontline. This is the second stabilization point established under the Steel Front initiative in cooperation with the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new facility, funded by Metinvest with an investment of UAH 21 million, is more secure than the first one thanks to its deeper location underground (over 6 meters) and additional fortifications.

Five armored vehicles “Kozak” have received a new mission – thanks to the support of Metinvest, they have been upgraded to full-fledged command and staff vehicles. These upgraded vehicles are now operating on the front line.