Pope Leo urges Putin to allow humanitarian aid into Russian-occupied Ukrainian town

Pope Leo on Friday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of food and humanitarian aid to Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s Kherson region, the Vatican said.During the telephone conversation, the pope voiced “deep concern” over the worsening humanitarian situation in the town, where residents are facing a growing food crisis. Russian forces took control of Oleshky in February 2022.The Vatican said Leo also reiterated the Holy See’s commitment to supporting any initiatives aimed at achieving peace. Friday’s conversation was the second known call between the two leaders, following their earlier discussion in June 2025.Russia has acknowledged serious shortages of food and medical supplies in Oleshky, saying its military was working to address the problem. Moscow has blamed Ukraine for the crisis, accusing Kyiv of obstructing the delivery of essential supplies to the town.Oleshky had a pre-war population of around 24,000. According to Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, approximately 1,700 people, including 47 children, remain in the town. Reuters reported.Meanwhile, the 71-year-old pope is recovering at Rome’s Gemelli hospital following surgery for lung cancer. The Vatican said earlier on Friday that his condition was steadily improving and that he was able to work and carry out his normal daily activities.Notably, the Vatican has repeatedly used diplomatic channels to engage both Moscow and Kyiv in efforts to end the war in Ukraine. In 2015, then-Pope Francis met Putin at the Vatican and stressed the need for a sincere effort to achieve peace and implement the Minsk agreements.Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Francis visited the Russian embassy to the Holy See and offered to travel to Moscow to meet Putin, while also holding telephone conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In 2023, he appointed Cardinal Matteo Zuppi as a special envoy for a peace mission focused on humanitarian issues, including prisoners of war and children separated from their familiesYou use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.