Pope Francis again on Tuesday telephoned Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, who assured the pontiff that “he is the most waiting guest in the country”.
“I spoke with His Holiness about the difficult humanitarian situation and the blockade of humanitarian corridors by Russian troops,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter. “The mediating role of the Holy See in ending human suffering would be appreciated. Grateful for the prayers for Ukraine and peace.”
Francis, for his part, told the Ukrainian president that he is “praying and doing everything possible to end the war, provoked after the invasion of Russia,” Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yuash, reported on Twitter.
“New gesture of support from Pope Francis: A few minutes ago the Holy Father called President Zelensky. They had a promising conversation. The pope said that he is praying and doing everything possible for the end of the war and Zelensky reiterated that His Holiness is the most anticipated guest in Ukraine,” the diplomat wrote.
Francis had already called the Russian president on February 26, when he expressed “his deep pain” to him at what was happening. Since the beginning of the war, the pope has made several calls for its cessation, has shown his willingness to “do everything” to help resolve the conflict, and sent two cardinals to show his closeness to the Ukrainian people.
Address to the Italian Parliament
After speaking with the pope, Zelensky gave a speech to the Italian Parliament in which he today called for greater sanctions and pressure on Russia and warned that the war in his country is Vladimir Putin's door “to enter Europe”.
“The invasion has been going on for 27 days, a month, and we need other sanctions and other pressure so that Russia cannot stock up on military reserves in Libya or Syria, and for peace to return,” said Zelensky, who was greeted with nearly a thousand Italian parliamentarians standing up and with loud applause.
The Ukrainian president also warned that Russia's goal is to “influence Europe” and “destroy its values, its democracy and its human rights”, before adding that “Ukraine is the door to the Russian army because they want to enter Europe.”
Zelensky began his speech by talking about the conversation he had this morning with Pope Francis, to whom he told that “the people have become the Army” of Ukraine to defend the country “from the evil, destruction and blood spreading that the enemy is causing.”
He recalled that there are now 117 children killed since the war began, that there are thousands of injured, tens of thousands of homeless families, hundreds of thousands who have had their homes destroyed and millions of people who had to leave their homes “because of a war that started only one person”, referring to Putin, who did not mentioned.
Zelensky explained that the port city of Mariupol has been razed and compared it to Genoa, asking parliamentarians to imagine that Italian city, with its important port, totally destroyed and from where its inhabitants escape on foot or by bus.
He also compared Kiev, “a capital from which the culture of a great people is born” with Rome, and assured that in the Ukrainian capital they are “on the verge of survival”.
“In the cities near Kiev there are Russian troops who torture, rape and kidnap children and take our goods with their trucks,” he said.
He warned that the Russian army has mined the coasts, which “poses a danger to all nearby countries” and recalled that thanks to the export of gas and oil, the war has been financed for the past ten years.
Zelensky stressed that the consequences of the war are already felt in other parts of the world and that many are beginning to go hungry because Ukraine was a major exporter: “How can we sow under Russian artillery, which destroys our fields? We cannot export corn, oil, wheat and all these necessary products. Prices are growing and many people are going to need help.”
He called on Italy to close its doors to all those who make propaganda “and who chose this country for their holidays”, to continue to seize their accounts, yachts, real estate and assets, and that “no exception be allowed to any Russian bank”.
He also thanked Italy's welcome to the more than 70,000 Ukrainians who have arrived in the country fleeing the war, including 25,000 children, and the hospitals that are taking care of the wounded.
“You only have to stop one person for millions to survive,” Zelensky said.
(With information from EFE)
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