ATHENS

The driving force behind the Ukraine war is the "imperial interests" of several "empires" and not just of Russia's, Pope Francis has said in an interview.

Speaking to Italian Swiss television RSI, in an interview due to be broadcast on Sunday whose excerpts were published by the Vatican news agency on Friday, the pontiff expressed readiness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace.

“Putin knows I am available. But there are imperial interests there, not only of the Russian empire but of empires elsewhere. It is typical of the empire to put nations in second place,” he said.

The pontiff argued that the arms industry is one of the major beneficiaries of wars. Quoting an expert, he said: "If for one year no weapons were produced, the problem of world hunger would be solved. It is a market. Wars are made, old weapons are sold, new ones are tested."

Pope Francis, 86, marks the 10th anniversary of his election on March 13.