The pope said the Russians were learning that their tanks were useless in Ukraine

• Pope Francis said “the Russians have just discovered that their tanks are useless” in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corrierre Della Sera.
• Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian forces have successfully destroyed hundreds of Russian tanks.
• The pope requested a meeting with the Kremlin, but President Vladimir Putin has not yet responded to his request.

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While condemning the brutality of the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis said the Russians found their “tanks useless” in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, published on Tuesday.

“The Russians have just realized that tanks are useless and can develop new weapons. “Wars are being fought for this reason: to test your arsenals,” he said in the article. “The production and sale of weapons is a disgrace, but few are brave enough to stand up to it.

Throughout the war, Ukrainian fighters tortured Russian Western-imported tanks such as the Javelins and Ukrainian-made Stugna-P, as well as other anti-tank weapons; Currently, researchers estimate that 600 Russian tanks have been destroyed or lost. Experts say Russian tanks have a design flaw that makes them susceptible to decapitation, which will kill their crew, known as the “jack box effect”, CNN reported. The United States and other NATO allies continue to arm Ukraine with anti-tank weapons and heavy artillery.

During the interview, Francis appears to have blamed NATO in part for the outbreak of the war, which he said was “barking at Russia’s gates”.

“I have no way of saying whether his anger was provoked,” Francis told Russian President Vladimir Putin, “but I suspect this may have been facilitated by Western attitudes.”

Expressing concern about the war, Pope Francis mentioned the Spanish Civil War, which had become a testing ground for Soviet and Nazi weapons, such as the Messerschmitt 109 fighter jet and the new artillery to be used during World War II.

Pope Francis has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine, but has not yet criticized Putin externally, as the Catholic leader is trying to correct historical violations with the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader is close to Putin. About 20 days after the start of the war, he asked to meet with the Russian president, but has not yet received a response.

“We have not received any response, but we continue to push them on this issue,” Francis said in an interview. However, I am afraid that Putin cannot or does not want to agree to our meeting at the moment.