Pope Francis regularly called for peace. There are about 10% Catholics in Ukraine, but all the people there appreciate his care for the poor and the disadvantaged, his desire to achieve peace. This was stated by former Minister of Defense Todor Tagarev in the program “Face to Face” on bTV, quoted by novini.bg.
There is also a negative attitude towards him, since Pope Francis repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine, but never once indicated who the aggressor in this war is. He never once named Vladimir Putin as the person responsible for starting this large-scale war. What irritated Ukrainians the most was an interview in which he said that Ukraine should have the courage to wave the white flag, that is, surrender and seek a solution through the courts, he recalled.
Regarding Trump's peace plan, which was leaked to the media, Tagarev said: “It's about a few pillars, there's no plan. Ukraine must give up joining NATO, military operations on the front line must stop, there will be no guarantees from the US, Ukraine must recognize Russia's rights over the Crimean peninsula”. He described these conditions as worrying. “We're talking about a third country that would guarantee peace and not be a member of NATO. All European countries are excluded,” he added.
„The Russian position is extremely consistent. They have not given up on any of their goals for which they started this war. They continue to say that the regime in Kiev must be overthrown, that Ukraine should not join NATO, and that NATO should withdraw to the border that was in place in 1997. I do not see anyone from Ukraine recognizing rights to territories occupied by Russia. The most important thing in order to reach a peace agreement is guarantees, and the American side does not give such indications”, commented Tagarev.
„The outcome of the war in Ukraine will determine the future of Europe for many years to come. Europe has an increasingly clear position. If Russia succeeds in Ukraine, the threat to Europe grows. Putin has put the entire country on military rails. His government is based on war. Everything has been destroyed in Russia. "If there is no war, it is not clear whether this government will continue. Europe is currently working to compensate for the potential withdrawal of the US from the guarantees for the security of Europe in the last 80 years. There are many initiatives. The rulers in Bulgaria are not involved in these European processes," the former military minister emphasized, adding that Bulgaria's place is in Europe. He pointed out that we cannot remain astride Putin's influence and the ambiguity associated with the American administration.