Actions of NATO countries could have played a negative role in the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, Pope Francis said. The pontiff expressed his readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict.
“Probably the barking of NATO at Russia’s door led to the reaction of the Kremlin. The anger, I don’t know if it was provoked, but probably contributed to (the Russian military operation in Ukraine” he said in an interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper.
The rector of the Catholic Church noted that so far he has not received a response to his proposal to meet with the Russian President.
According to the pontiff, he does not plan to visit Kiev at the moment, while first he would prefer to be in Moscow.
“For now, I am not going to Kiev; I feel that I should not do that. I have to go to Moscow first. I have to meet with Putin first. But I’m a priest after all, what can I do? I do what I can. If only Putin would open the door,” he added.