BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 19, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The head of the EU's main
leftist political grouping has said it is time to "negotiate" an end to
Russia's war in Ukraine, rallying behind a controversial call by Pope Francis
for Kyiv to raise the "white flag."

"I believe helping the Ukrainian people means now making attempts to end the
war," said Walter Baier, the 70-year-old Austrian picked last month by the
Party of the European Left as its candidate to head the next European
Commission.

Baier underlined that his party -- whose 26 full members include Germany's
Die Linke, France's Communists and Greece's Syriza -- had "absolutely
condemned the Russian aggression" in its manifesto for June's European
elections.

But in a joint interview Monday with the "European Newsroom," which brings
together news agencies including AFP, he said the conflict's "frozen" fronts
required a new approach.

"I would wish from the European Union... to take diplomatic efforts to start
negotiations to achieve a ceasefire and to achieve the withdrawal of the
Russian troops," Baier said.

"In this regard, I fully support what Pope Francis was saying. Now it's the
time to end the war, and now it's the time to negotiate and stop killing,"
said the former head of Austria's communist party.

In an interview broadcast earlier this month, the Argentine pontiff urged
Kyiv, which has been fighting invading Russian forces for more than two
years, to "raise the white flag and negotiate".

The Ukrainian government reacted with fury, even while the Vatican insisted
the words "white flag" were intended to mean a cessation of hostilities, not
a surrender.

Analysts see no immediate prospect of negotiations to find a breakthrough in
the Ukraine war, with Russia's Vladimir Putin emboldened by the erosion of
Western support for Kyiv -- while Ukraine is determined to keep fighting to
recapture territory.

The Party of the European Left is the larger of two leftist formations in the
European Parliament -- along with Now the People whose members include
Spain's Podemos and France Unbowed.

Both are part of the 37-strong group of lawmakers called The Left in the EU
parliament -- where polls point to a surge by far-right movements following
June's vote across the 27-nation bloc.

The EU parliament currently has 705 seats, which will increase to 720 seats
after the 2024 elections.