“Our starting point is the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” - Vatican Secretary for International Affairs
“Our starting point is the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. What exactly the Ukrainians want to negotiate or what they are willing to give up is their business, and we must support them,” Gallagher said in an interview for the monthly Jesuit magazine America, according to the Secretariat of the Head of the UGCC in Rome.
He emphasized that a just peace must correct the aggression Ukraine has experienced. At the same time, the archbishop admitted that the situation is complicated.
“Ukrainians want to return all the occupied territories, but it remains a difficult task. Therefore, if they are willing to accept less, will it be a just peace? I think this question will eventually have to be clarified in the negotiations,” he emphasized.
Commenting on the negotiations between American and Russian diplomats, in particular, the meeting in Saudi Arabia on February 18, 2025, which took place without the participation of Ukraine, the Archbishop noted that when it comes to the future of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people must be part of these negotiations.
“It is true that sometimes people need mediation. Yet, in this case, we can understand the concern of Ukrainians that they have apparently been 'pushed into the background'. They must be involved, for it concerns their future, their lives and the future of their country,” Gallagher emphasized.
He also rejected Trump's accusations of Ukraine being responsible for the war.
“We must be very clear about whose tanks crossed the border. You can say that maybe some of Ukraine's pre-war strategies could have been different. Although I can admit that, in the end, the decision to invade was a sole decision of Russia,” the archbishop stated.
