Pope Francis, in his traditional Christmas message from St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Sunday, called Russia's war in Ukraine "pointless" and called for an end to the conflict.


"May the Lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to help all who suffer, and may He enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the roar of arms and bring an immediate end to this senseless war," he said.

Recalling that Bethlehem means "house of bread," the 86-year-old pope called on the world to remember children who starve today, while so much food is wasted and resources are spent on weapons. He noted how the war in Ukraine has exacerbated world hunger, especially in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, where widespread famine is facing. He said the food was used as a weapon of war because it was difficult to distribute to people who were already suffering.

"On this day, let us learn from the Prince of Peace - starting with those with political responsibility - to commit to making food the only instrument of peace," he said.

In an interview aired on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to negotiate with all parties to the war in Ukraine. Still, Kyiv and its Western backers refused to take part.

"We are ready to negotiate an acceptable solution with all parties involved, but it is up to them - we are not the ones refusing to negotiate; they are," Putin said in an interview on Rossiya 1 state television.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Podoliak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Putin needed to come back to reality and admit that it was Russia that did not want any negotiations.

"Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and killed citizens," Podolak said on Twitter. "Russia does not want to negotiate, but tries to avoid responsibility." He echoed the CIA's assessment in early December that Russia had not yet taken Ukraine seriously Real negotiations to end the war.

Putin argued that Russia's actions on Ukraine were "in the right direction" because Western powers, led by the United States, were trying to divide Russia. Washington denies it is plotting Russia's collapse.

On Sunday morning, Reuters reported that air strike sirens were sounded in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and across the country, apparently in response to Russian aircraft taking off in Belarus.


On Christmas Eve, Russia launched shelling on central Kherson in southern Ukraine, killing at least 10 people and injuring 55. Regional Governor Yaroslav Yanushevich said 16 people were killed that day in Kherson and Oblast.

Zelensky condemned the Russian attack on Kherson, calling it a "terrorist attack; it was killing for intimidation and pleasure."

A rocket landed next to a supermarket in central Kherson, Yuriy Sobolevskyi, first deputy chairman of the Kherson state council, said in a post on social media Telegram. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior, 66 vehicles were set ablaze after the shelling.

Photos of the attack -- burning cars and what appeared to be dead bodies -- were on the president's Telegram account.

"The social network is likely to flag these photos as 'sensitive content,'" Zelensky wrote. "But it's not sensitive - this is real life in Ukraine and Ukrainians."

In a video address late Saturday to Ukrainians celebrating Christmas, Zelensky said they were creating their own Christmas miracle by remaining resilient and defiant in the face of Russian attacks."We endured at the start of the war -- we survived attacks, threats, nuclear blackmail, terror, missile attacks. We're going to get through this winter because we know what we're fighting for," he said.

"Dinners at the family table can't be this tasty and warm. There can be empty chairs around. Our homes and streets can't be this bright," he said.

But he added that the path of the Ukrainian people was illuminated by faith and patience.