Pope Leo XIV Calls Zelensky After Speaking With Putin to Discuss Russian-Occupied Oleshky Again

President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky with Pope Leo XIV during a phone call on October 19. Oleshky, a frontline town in Kherson Oblast, currently houses around 2,000 residents who lack adequate food and medicine supplies.

During the call, Zelensky and Pope Leo addressed the Vatican's diplomatic efforts in relation to the crisis and their joint pursuit of a ceasefire. Pope Leo had previously spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 16, proposing a cease-fire in Oleshky. Putin, according to Kremlin's account, attributed the crisis in Oleshky to Ukraine's actions.

Ukrainian and Russian officials are currently negotiating a ceasefire proposal, with the aim of evacuating residents from Oleshky directly to Ukrainian-controlled territory. This approach would avoid the need for residents to travel through Russian-occupied and then Russian territory. However, a final agreement has not been publicly announced, and the timeline for an evacuation remains uncertain.

The intervention of Pope Leo in the conflict is unclear in terms of its impact on the negotiated agreement. Despite the escalating emergency, Russian forces have obstructed both Ukrainian and international humanitarian organizations from entering the occupied regions to provide aid.

In addition to discussing the crisis in Oleshky, Zelensky also spoke with Pope Leo about Russia's increasing missile attacks and the lack of advance warnings from Kyiv's allies. On the night prior to their conversation, Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region, resulting in at least one death and eight injuries. Ukrainian officials reported that they were not warned about the attack until after the first missiles struck, unlike other U.S. and allied partners who had been alerted.