Staff members work at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
ROME, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Pope Francis said the "barking" of NATO at Russia's door might have led to Russia's military operation in Ukraine, U.S. news portal Politico has reported.
"While he (the Pope) might not go as far as saying NATO's presence in nearby countries 'provoked' Moscow, it 'perhaps facilitated' the invasion," said the report.
The pope made the remarks in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published Tuesday. ■
