Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, following Pope Francis’s recent controversial statements about the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Kulbokas was informed that Ukraine was “disappointed” by the Pope’s remarks about the “courage of the white flag” and the necessity of negotiating with Russia, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry reported. The ministry added that such claims “normalise the ‘might makes right’ mentality and encourage them [the aggressors] to further violate the norms of international law”.

Kyiv expects the Pope to “send a message to the international community about the need to immediately join forces to guarantee the victory of good over evil, and to address the aggressor, not the victim”, the ministry said in a statement.

Pope Francis said in a February interview that Ukraine should have what he called “the courage of the white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia. A representative of the Vatican clarified that the Pope’s statement was not a call for Ukraine to surrender. The Pope’s remarks caused an outcry and have been widely criticised.