Vatican’s Russia-Ukraine diplomacy sees setbacks

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — The Vatican’s Russia-Ukraine diplomacy has suffered two setbacks. First, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church cancelled a planned meeting with Pope Francis in Kazakhstan next month. Then Ukraine summoned the papal ambassador on Thursday to complain about Francis’ latest comments about the war. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters in Kyiv that “the Ukrainian heart is torn apart by the pope’s words.” He was responding to Francis’ comments about the weekend car bomb slaying in Moscow of Darya Dugina, a nationalist Russian TV commentator and daughter of a right-wing political theorist who ardently supports the war. Francis listed the “poor girl” among the “innocents” who have been victimized by the “insanity of war.”