ロシアが軍事攻勢を高め、ウクライナ情勢が緊張を続けているが、教皇フランシスコは9日の水曜恒例一般謁見で、「戦争は”狂気”です」とされ、ウクライナを巡る軍事紛争を回避、危機を克服するために、欧米諸国とロシアなど関係国の対話の努力を重ねて訴えられた。
教皇は、その中で、まず、世界の指導者たちはウクライナ危機回避に全力を尽くすように願って提唱された1月26日の「平和のための祈りの日」に参加した世界のすべての人々、教会共同体に感謝を述べられた。
そのうえで、「私たちは、（ウクライナを巡る）の緊張と戦争への脅威が、真剣な対話を通じて克服されること、そしてノルマンディー形式の話し合いもこの目的に貢献する可能性についても、平和の神に懇願し続けます。 忘れないでください。戦争は狂気です」と訴えられた。
Diplomatic efforts
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been ongoing for years.
Most recently, Russia began moving troops and military equipment near its border with Ukraine late last year, raising concerns of a potential invasion.
In the latest developments, diplomatic efforts have been gathering pace in a bid to defuse the situation.
Following talks with President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he believed steps can be taken to de-escalate the crisis and called on all sides to stay calm.
Both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had told him they were committed to the principles of a 2014 peace agreement, he said, adding that this deal, known as the Minsk accords, offered a path to resolving their ongoing disputes.
Meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz later in Berlin, both Macron and the chancellor said, “Our common goal is to prevent a war in Europe.”
Macron and Scholz also met in Berlin with Polish President Andrzej Duda. The French presidency said after the talks the three leaders expressed their joint support for Ukrainian sovereignty.
Threatened Sanctions
The United States and European Union have threatened Russia with sanctions if it attacks Ukraine. However, Moscow has largely dismissed new sanctions as an empty threat.
U.S. President Joe Biden warned on Monday that if Russia invaded Ukraine, “there will be no longer Nord Stream 2,” referring to a newly built, as yet unopened gas pipeline to Germany.
