On Saturday, Pope Francis came the closest to implicitly criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying a “potentate” was fomenting wars for nationalist objectives.

“The black shadows of war have now extended from the east of Europe, from the country of the daybreak. We had assumed that invasions of other nations, terrible street fighting, and nuclear threats were relics of the distant past “The pope made the remarks in an address to Maltese authorities after arriving for a two-day visit to the Mediterranean island nation.

“However, the chilly winds of war, which carry nothing but death, devastation, and hatred in their wake,” he added, “have swept down violently onto the lives of countless people and afflicted us all.”

“Once again, some potentate, terribly caught up in archaic claims of nationalist interests, is stirring and fomenting disputes,” he remarked, “while ordinary people understand the need to establish a future that will either be shared, or not be at all.”

The pope has previously severely criticised the war’s “unjustified aggression” and blasted “atrocities.”

However, he has only mentioned Russia specifically in prayers, such as during a special global peace event on March 25.