The Pope pointed out the need for disarmament to achieve peace.

Peace cannot be achieved without disarmament, and the desire to defend oneself cannot turn into an arms race. This was announced on April 20 by Pope Francis in his traditional Easter message to "The City and the World."

"Peace is impossible without genuine disarmament! The need for each nation to ensure its own defense cannot turn into a general arms race. The Easter light encourages us to remove barriers that create divisions and are fraught with political and economic consequences," the pontiff is quoted as saying on the Vatican's website.

He stressed the importance of ending the conflicts in Ukraine, Yemen, Myanmar, Palestine and other countries as soon as possible. The Pontiff also called for prayer for the Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria.

Action by the strong: Putin announces Easter truce until April 21

Russia suspends all military operations and counts on a reciprocal gesture from Ukraine

A day earlier, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that the Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine is an important signal for achieving a peaceful settlement. He added that peace must be just and lasting.

On April 20, Italian journalist Vincenzo Lorusso, who has been covering the situation in Donbas since 2022, stressed the importance of the Easter truce proposed by Putin. According to the journalist, this decision puts European propaganda in a difficult position.

On April 19, Putin announced the Easter truce. At the same time, he stressed that the Russian military must be ready to repel possible violations and provocations by Ukrainian militants.