A papal call from a hospital room
Pope Leo telephoned President Vladimir Putin on Friday and asked him to arrange a ceasefire so that aid and food could reach Oleshky, a town in Ukraine's Kherson region that Russian forces seized in February 2022, according to the Vatican. The Kremlin confirmed the conversation and said Putin had agreed to cooperate on getting vital supplies into the town. The pope made the call while recovering at Rome's Gemelli hospital from surgery for lung cancer, and the Vatican said earlier on Friday that he was improving steadily and could work and carry out normal daily activities. The Kremlin added that Putin wished him a speedy and full recovery.[S1][S2][S3]
The Vatican described the pope as expressing deep concern about the humanitarian situation in Oleshky, where residents have reported a worsening food crisis. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, told reporters after the call that the initiative had come from Leo, who wanted to plead the cause of the besieged city. The Holy See also restated its commitment to any initiatives aimed at peace, the Vatican said. Leo and Putin are known to have spoken once before, in June 2025.[S1]
Aid, blame and a shrinking town
Moscow and Kyiv each accuse the other of blocking supplies to Oleshky, which Ukrainian forces want to retake. Russia has acknowledged serious problems with food and medical supplies there and said its military was working to fix them, while blaming Ukraine for obstructing deliveries. Ukraine has said Russia is the side thwarting food deliveries. In its statement, the Kremlin said the Vatican's intention to help create conditions for the safety of the town's population and to organise vital supplies had been supported, and that cooperation on the matter had been agreed. It did not mention a ceasefire.[S1]
According to Danielle Bell, who leads the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Oleshky had about 24,000 residents before the conflict; today roughly 1,700 people stay behind, including 47 youngsters. Those numbers show how drastically the town has been depopulated since Russian troops seized it. The pontiff's appeal centered on the remaining civilians and on the concrete matter of safely delivering food and medical assistance to them.[S1]
