Pope Leo XIV asked Vladimir Putin during a phone call to arrange a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to reach the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region.
The Vatican said the Pope expressed deep concern over the humanitarian situation in the city and called for conditions that would allow essential supplies to be delivered.
Following the call, the Kremlin said it supported the Vatican’s intention to help ensure residents’ safety and the delivery of essential goods and that the sides had agreed to cooperate on the issue. The Russian side did not publicly say that it had agreed to an actual ceasefire.
The appeal came amid reports of a severe humanitarian crisis in Oleshky. The Washington Post reported, citing residents who had left the city, that food and medicine were in critically short supply and that evacuation was difficult.
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of obstructing aid deliveries. According to Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, around 1,700 people remain in Oleshky, including 47 children.
Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since 2022.