Ukraine backs Pope's call for Olympic truce in war with Russia

KYIV, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Ukraine ⁠has backed ⁠a ‍call for a ceasefire in the war with Russia during the Winter Olympics after Italy and ‍Pope Leo urged world leaders to use the ​Milano Cortina games to further peace.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Reuters that ​Ukraine supported the proposal during the February 6–22 Winter Olympics and a corresponding United Nations resolution calling for a global truce. He said ​it was up to Russia to clarify its position.

"We support this appeal," he said in an interview ​in Kyiv. "We are interested in a ceasefire and if Russia once again rejects, it ‌will once again confirm who is the obstacle for peace and who wants to continue ​this war."

Pope Leo on Sunday invoked ⁠what he said was the ancient tradition of the Olympic truce and called on people ‌in positions of power to take real steps towards de-escalation and dialogue in the name of peace.

Ukraine is locked in brutal ‌fighting with Russia nearly four years after Moscow's troops poured over the ‌border in a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russian forces occupy nearly a fifth of Ukraine and have been bombarding the power ‍grid.

The United States is trying to broker a settlement and has held rounds of talks ⁠between Ukraine and Russia in an effort to end the war.

"Let's stop and it will definitely open a path for broader peace negotiations," Sybiha said.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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