Pope Leo XIV: Wars no longer make sense

Pope Leo XIV has once again called for peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, saying wars no longer make sense.

While returning to the Vatican from France, he made clear that they must call on the heads of state and government of Russia, Ukraine and other countries to meet, sit down at the same table and talk to one another, Caliber.Az reports, citing Vatican media.

He also called for an end to the arms race and urged countries to promote “the values of human dignity, the importance of life, the possibility of perhaps spending more on health and education and less on weapons.”

In his words, people spend enormous sums on this vast military industry: an industry from which a small elite makes enormous profits by fuelling wars. Meanwhile, these billions of euros or dollars could be used to address problems such as world hunger, the housing crisis and unemployment.

"I believe the Church has a responsibility to promote those values, continually inviting leaders such as those of Russia and Ukraine, and other countries, to come, to sit down, to engage in dialogue, to seek ways of resolving problems without continuing these wars that no longer make sense," he emphasised.

Earlier reports said that a Vatican envoy would travel to Moscow to hold talks on Ukraine.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov