His Holiness, Pope Francis, said that Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban told him when they met last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to end the invasion of Ukraine on May 9 – Russia’s Victory Day.
The Pope disclosed this to Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera in an interview published Tuesday.
Recall that the war between Russia and Ukraine began in February.
Several casualties have since been recorded as a result of the war.
Putin had ordered the invasion of Ukraine because of some political differences between both countries.
“Orban, when I met him, he told me that the Russians have a plan, that everything will be over on May 9,” Pope Francis said.
“This would also explain the speed of the escalation these days. Because now it’s not just the Donbas, it’s Crimea, it’s Odesa, it’s taking away the Black Sea port from Ukraine, it’s everything.”
“There is not enough will for peace,” the Pope said. “I am pessimistic, but we must make every possible gesture to stop the war,” he added.
Pope Francis also repeated his earlier statements that he is ready to travel to Moscow to meet with Putin.
He, however, compared the war in Ukraine to the genocide in Rwanda.
“We have not yet received an answer and we are still insisting, even if I fear that Putin cannot and does not want to have this meeting right now. But so much brutality, how can you not stop it? Twenty-five years ago we experienced the same thing with Rwanda,” Pope Francis said.
