The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, told Pope Leo that he had agreed to cooperate after the pontiff asked him on Friday to help deliver essential supplies to the Ukrainian city of Oleshky, controlled by Russia, the Kremlin said.
Pope Leo called Putin and asked him to arrange a ceasefire to allow the entry of humanitarian aid and food into the city, seized by Russian forces in February 2022, the Vatican said. Residents reported a worsening food crisis.
Pope Leo expressed “deep concern” about the humanitarian situation there, the Vatican added. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of blocking the shipment of supplies to the city, which Ukrainian forces intend to retake.
“The Vatican’s intention to help create the conditions necessary to ensure the safety of the city’s population and to organise the delivery of essential supplies received support,” the Kremlin said in a statement. The statement did not mention a ceasefire.
“It was agreed that there will be cooperation on this issue,” he added.
It is known that Leo and Putin had already spoken once before, in June 2025. The pope also reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to any peace initiatives, the Vatican said.
The pope, 71, is recovering at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome after surgery to remove a lung cancer. The Vatican said on Friday morning that he is showing steady improvement and is able to work and perform normal daily activities. The Kremlin said Putin wished Leo a speedy and complete recovery.
The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, told reporters after the call that the initiative came from Leo. The pope, according to him, wanted “to defend the cause of that besieged city.”
Russia acknowledged serious problems with food and medical supplies in Oleshky and said its armed forces were working to resolve them. The country blamed Ukraine for the crisis, claiming that it was preventing these supplies from reaching the city. Ukraine stated that it is Russia that is blocking food deliveries.
Oleshky, in the Kherson region of Ukraine, had a population of about 24,000 before the war and still houses about 1,700 residents, including 47 children, according to Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
