Influential EU politician Walter Baier announced his support to Pope Francis' call for Kiev to raise the "white flag," adding that it is time to "negotiate" an end to the war in Ukraine.

"I believe helping the Ukrainian people means now making attempts to end the war," said Baier, head of the Party of the European Left and its candidate to become the next President of the European Commission.

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Baier emphasized that his party, which comprises 26 full members including Die Linke in Germany, the Communists in France, and Syriza in Greece, had unequivocally denounced the Russian aggression in its manifesto for the upcoming European elections in June.

However, during a shared interview on Monday with the European Newsroom, he noted that the stagnant fronts of the conflict necessitated a fresh approach.

"I would wish from the European Union... to take diplomatic efforts to start negotiations to achieve a ceasefire and to achieve the withdrawal of the Russian troops," he said.

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"In this regard, I fully support what Pope Francis was saying. Now it's the time to end the war, and now it's the time to negotiate and stop killing."

In an interview published earlier this month, Pope Francis said that Ukraine should demonstrate what he described as the bravery of the "white flag" and engage in negotiations to conclude the war with Russia.

"The word negotiate is a courageous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate," the Pope said.

In August 2023, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak called Pope Francis a "tool of Russian propaganda" who supports the establishment of a "Russian world," after Pope Francis convened with Catholic youth from Russia on August 25, 2023 via teleconference.

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