Pope Francis appealed for talks on Wednesday between Ukraine and Russia to end the war that followed Moscow’s two-year invasion and has killed tens of thousands, according to Reuters news agency.

In his Christmas message, the Pontiff mentioned the Ukraine conflict directly and called for “the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation”.

Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to thousands of people in the square below, the pope prayed for ceasefire in the war-torn country.

He also called for “gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace”.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Since the initial attack, hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions more displaced from their homes.

On Christmas Day, Moscow launched waves of drone and missile attacks that killed four people across several Ukrainian regions including Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Kharkiv.

BBC reported that although the Christmas Day attack focused on energy infrastructure, civilian buildings have also been hit and damaged.

Francis further denounced the “extremely grave” humanitarian situation in Gaza while appealing for the release of captives and a ceasefire in the war-torn coastal enclave.

The 88-year-old pope was previously criticized by Ukrainian officials when he said the invaded country should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had ruled out engaging in peace talks without the restoration of Ukraine’s pre-war borders.

But Zelenskiy has shown an increasing willingness in the weeks since Donald Trump’s re-election as U.S. president to enter negotiations.

Celebrating the 12th Christmas of his pontificate, Francis called for an end to conflicts, political, social or military, in places including Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.