Pope Calls on Putin for a Ceasefire to Deliver Aid to Temporarily Occupied Oleshky

Pope Leo XIV held a telephone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the afternoon of October 16 to address deteriorating regional conditions.

During the call, the Pope voiced intense concern regarding the severe humanitarian situation in the temporarily occupied city of Oleshky, located in Ukraine's Kherson region, according to Vatican News.

During the discussion, the Holy Father appealed for an immediate pause in hostilities to facilitate the delivery of critical food supplies and medical relief, while enabling civilians to safely and voluntarily evacuate the front-line area along the Dnipro River.

The communication marks the first contact between the two leaders since June 4, 2025.

According to an official release from the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff highlighted the urgent need for humanitarian intervention in the frontline settlement, which currently sits under Russian occupation.

The Vatican reaffirmed its ongoing readiness to support diplomatic dialogue and assist in efforts aimed at reaching peace amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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The appeal comes while Pope Leo XIV remains hospitalized at the Gemelli Hospital, where he has been recovering since undergoing surgery on Tuesday to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.

Ukrainian authorities continue to report severe shortages in Oleshky. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in May that Russian forces were blocking evacuations and obstructing deliveries of food, medicine, and other basic supplies to communities on the occupied left bank of the Kherson region.

The ministry said electricity and gas supplies were unavailable and estimated Oleshky’s population had declined from about 24,000 before the full-scale invasion to roughly 2,000.

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