Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have been “in some way provoked”, Pope Francis has said, in comments falling far short of condemning Vladimir Putin as an aggressor towards Ukraine.
In the text of a conversation he had last month with editors of Jesuit media that was published on Tuesday, the pontiff praised "brave" Ukrainians for fighting for survival but also said the situation was not black and white.
He went on to say that the war was "perhaps in some way provoked".
