Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba led a series of critical responses on Sunday to comments from Pope Francis in an interview on Swiss television released over the weekend.
"I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates," Francis had said, in response to a question about whether negotiating would amount to waving a white flag.
He alluded to offers from countries like Turkey to mediate between Ukraine and Russia and said, "Do not be ashamed to negotiate."
Ukraine's foreign minister Kuleba responded online.
"The strongest is the one who, in the battle between good and evil, stands on the side of good rather than attempting to put them on the same footing and call it 'negotiations'," he said.
He said the Vatican's "white flag" strategy was evident to those familiar with the history of the first half of the 20th century and called on the Church "to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past."