Pope Francis on Saturday expressed his sorrow about the situation in Ukraine in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See, Pope Francis had a conversation with Zelensky by phone on February 26.
“The Holy Father expressed his deepest sorrow for the tragic events taking place in our country,” the embassy wrote on Twitter.
On his own Twitter account, Zelensky wrote that he “thanked Pope Francis @Pontifex for praying for peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire. The Ukrainian people feel the spiritual support of His Holiness.”
The Vatican press office confirmed on Saturday that there was a telephone call between Pope Francis and Zelensky.
Zelensky is in Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv, after he refused an offer by the United States to be evacuated.
According to a US intelligence official, Zelensky said: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”
Saturday marked the third day of fighting in Ukraine, after Russian military invaded the country in the early morning of February 24.
The death toll among both military and civilians continues to rise. Swaths of Ukrainians are fleeing from the eastern part of the country to the west, or to neighboring Poland. People in the cities of Kyiv and Lviv have been forced to seek safety in shelters or subway stations.
Street fighting broke out in Kyiv on Saturday as Russian troops advanced toward the capital.
Russian troops ordered to advance
Moscow ordered its troops to advance in Ukraine “from all directions” while the West responded late Saturday with sanctions that sought to cripple Russia’s banking sector.
Ukrainian officials said 198 civilians, including three children, had been killed since Russia invaded on Thursday, and warned Russian saboteurs were active in Kyiv where explosions forced residents to flee underground.
Moscow said it fired cruise missiles at military targets, continuing the offensive after accusing Ukraine of having “rejected” talks.
But on day three of Russia’s invasion, Zelensky vowed his country would never give in to the Kremlin as Washington said the invading force had a “lack of momentum.”
Ukraine’s army said it held the line against an assault on the capital — but was fighting Russian “sabotage groups” that had infiltrated the city.
“We will fight until we have liberated our country,” Zelensky said in a video message.
He earlier said Ukraine had “derailed” Moscow’s plan to overthrow him and urged Russians to pressure President Vladimir Putin into stopping the conflict.
Responding to the invasion, the West said it would remove some Russian banks from the SWIFT bank messaging system, and froze central bank assets — essentially crippling some of Russia’s global trade.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon estimates roughly half of the more than 150,000-strong invasion force built up by Moscow on Ukraine’s borders in recent months is now inside the country.
But there had been a “lack of momentum over the last 24 hours,” and the Russian military had still not gained air superiority over the country, a US official said. – with reports from AFP and CNA
