International Desk: Pope Francis has directly begged to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to stop the “spiral of violence and death” in Ukraine.

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The head of the Catholic Church also criticized the annexation of 4 regions of Ukraine, saying on Sunday that it risked nuclear escalation and urged Putin to think of his own people.

Francis has often condemned Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, but it was the first time he made a direct personal appeal to Putin.

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“My appeal goes above all to the president of the Russian Federation, begging him to stop this spiral of violence and death, even out of love for his own people,” Francis said.

He also called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to consider proposals to halt the battle.

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“On the other side, pained by the enormous suffering of the Ukrainian population following the aggression it suffered, I address an equally hopeful appeal to the president of Ukraine to be open to a serious peace proposal,” he said.

He was making an urgent appeal “in the name of God” for an end to the conflict and said it was “absurd” that the world was risking a nuclear war.

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Later, Pope Francis tweeted both the appeals to the two leaders in Russian and Ukrainian.

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