Pope Leo XIV urges Putin to cease fire in blockaded Oleshky

Pope Leo XIV called Vladimir Putin and urged a ceasefire in Oleshky, in Ukraine’s Kherson region, to permit food and medical deliveries and the safe, voluntary evacuation of civilians. The Vatican described Leo’s concern about the city’s humanitarian conditions; its account did not identify who initiated the call.

NewsCord reported that Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Leo took the initiative. The Kremlin gave a distinct account of responsibility for the conditions. It said Putin discussed what it called Kyiv’s responsibility for Oleshky’s difficult humanitarian situation, while supporting Vatican efforts to help civilians and deliver supplies.

The Kremlin also said the parties agreed to coordinate work on civilian safety and essential supplies. That account does not establish that the parties reached a ceasefire or that aid deliveries or evacuations began. The New York Post described Oleshky as blockaded and reported that the city had no electricity, gas or running water.

NewsCord reported Parolin’s estimate that about 2,000 civilians needed safe routes out and humanitarian corridors. Those details underscore the immediate stakes of Leo’s request: residents’ access to basic utilities, food and medical assistance, and the ability to leave safely.

The sources do not provide a separate account from Kyiv or confirm the Kremlin’s attribution of responsibility. The Vatican’s stated purpose for a ceasefire was to make humanitarian deliveries and civilian evacuations possible. The Kremlin’s public account, by contrast, emphasized its view of Kyiv’s responsibility and its support for Vatican assistance.

These are attributed positions, not independently established findings about who caused the conditions in Oleshky. The agreed coordination described by the Kremlin concerns civilian safety and supplies; it is not itself confirmation that a ceasefire is in place.

The call took place while Leo was recovering in hospital after surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, according to the Sydney Morning Herald and the New York Post. The Sydney Morning Herald also reported that the Vatican released images of Leo celebrating Mass at a Rome hospital and said the Vatican described his humanitarian appeal.

The hospital detail provides context for the call but does not change its substance: Leo asked Putin to support a pause that would allow aid and safe evacuation. The immediate issues are whether the ceasefire Leo requested is implemented, whether food and medical supplies reach Oleshky, and whether civilians can leave safely.

The Kremlin’s statement about coordination is the only reported account of an agreed practical step; the sources do not establish its scope or report an outcome on the ground. The account leaves the parties’ next actions and the provision of humanitarian access unresolved.