Ukraine, the path of diplomacy is pursued.

Russia begins withdrawal In Moscow talks between President Putin and German Chancellor Scholtz, while Lavrov denies the invasion scheduled for tomorrow. The military chaplain of the Greek-Catholic Church: the Pope's words are a great support for Ukrainians who are neither alone nor abandoned.

Francesca Sabatinelli and Fabio Colagrande - Vatican City

The dialogue continues, because it is the road that could give results, according to Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov, who exalts the diplomatic channel on the day the meeting between Russian President Putin and German Chancellor Scholz kicked off in the Kremlin , yesterday at an interview in Kiev. On the eve of what was indicated as the date for the invasion, February 16, Moscow, which dubbed the news as media terrorism, confirms the beginning of the withdrawal of its troops, a move already planned, Lavrov points out, and which does not it depends on what he calls "Western hysteria". Just this morning, the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock requested to withdraw the troops, which was then repeated by the Ukrainians themselves, for whom only when all the troops are seen withdrawing from the border can one believe in a de-escalation . The same skepticism is expressed by the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, according to whom "there are no signs on the ground that Russia is reducing troops on the borders of Ukraine." Stoltenberg, however, at the same time, speaks of "cautious optimism" in relation to the diplomatic path.

The Duma's request on the Donbass The tension could also dissolve in a moment, in the event that Ukraine were to abandon the plans to join NATO, is the further indication of Lavrov, to which however Kiev responds promptly, through the voice of President Zelensky, who does not withdraw from the intention to join the Alliance, one of the points that triggered the crisis. The Duma, the lower branch of the Russian parliament, is adding even more fuel to the fire with its request to President Putin to recognize the self-proclaimed separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, in the Ukrainian south-east, where Russia is accused of supporting the separatists in the Donbass conflict, a possibility however excluded by Moscow, which intends to remain faithful to the Minsk agreements which, declares the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, envisages a path of autonomy for the region of Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

The Pope's support . Every effort should be made for peace 02/13/2022 Francis, let us pray silently for Ukraine. Every effort should be made for peace In the meantime, in Ukraine, we hope for peace, remaining vigilant and ready for a possible counter-offensive and, if necessary, to abandon the country. It is Father Andriy Zelinskyy, military chaplain of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, who tells us that no one wants a war, but that we are preparing for the worst scenarios, for this reason, he explains, "the people have packed an emergency suitcase, where they put the more important things are documents and everything that could be used in the event of an attack ". Father Zelinskyy returns to the Pope's words, pronounced at the Angelus on February 13, defines them as "a great support, a strength, an encouragement" for Ukrainians in this difficult situation. Words that make it clear that “in Ukraine we are not alone or even abandoned”. The gratitude to Francis and to all the people who will respond to his invitation to pray for peace is strong, because the Pope's prayer "not only unites Catholics, but also all people of good will".

Full English Translation of Article: https://www.vaticannews.va/it/mondo/news/2022-02/ucraina-diplomazia-russia-inizio-ritiro.html