The head of the Roman Catholic Church first made the remarks in early May and has now repeated them in a long interview with La Civilta Cattolica, a Jesuit publication.
He said he had been told by an unnamed head of state that war was brewing in the weeks before Russia’s invasion of its neighbour on February 24.
“He told me that he was very concerned about the way Nato was moving. I asked him why, and he said, ‘They are barking at the gates of Russia. They do not understand that the Russians are imperialists and will allow no foreign power to approach them.’ He concluded, ‘The situation could lead to war.’ This was his opinion. On February 24, the war began.”
The war with Russia “was perhaps somehow either provoked or not prevented”, the Pope added.
Despite much of the world siding with Ukraine in its attempts to stand up to Russian aggression, Pope Francis insisted that there are “no good guys and bad guys” in the conflict.
‘Simplistic to say I am pro-Putin’
“Someone may say to me at this point: so you are pro-Putin! No, I am not. It would be simplistic and wrong to say such a thing.”
The Argentinian pontiff did praise the Ukrainians for their brave resistance and condemned Russian troops for their “monstrous” ferocity and cruelty.
The Pope’s claim that Nato is to blame for the war is likely to be poorly received by many Ukrainians. Francis has already faced criticism for organising an Easter event in Rome which involved a Ukrainian woman and a Russian woman carrying a wooden cross together as part of a procession.
“The Pope calls for peace and expresses sorrow for the perished but does not say a word about who has started the war, who is killing Ukrainians, who are raping Ukrainian women and dropping bombs on Ukrainian children,” said Andrii Andrushkiv, 37, a member of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church who joined the Ukrainian army a week after the invasion.
“The Vatican cannot send us tanks, missiles or cannons. Instead, the Vatican and Pope Francis can use the most powerful weapon: the word of truth.”