Pope Leo XIV between Zelensky and Putin: the Oleshky ceasefire and the Holy See's diplomacy

Within three days Pope Leo XIV has spoken by telephone with the presidents of the two countries at war: on Friday 16 October with Vladimir Putin, while he was still in the Gemelli hospital, and today, Monday 19 October, with Volodymyr Zelensky. Both conversations focused on Oleshky, an occupied town in the Kherson region, for which the Pope has asked for a humanitarian ceasefire.

The call with Zelensky. The Holy See Press Office statement (B0822, official English text) says the Holy Father "recalled the grave situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and made reference to the request for a humanitarian ceasefire that he had presented to the President of the Russian Federation." It adds: "His Holiness expressed the hope that cooperation between both parties will allow for the delivery of food and medical aid, and for the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population." Finally, "the Holy Father reaffirmed the commitment of the Holy See to promoting dialogue and peace" (Statement B0822). According to Vatican News the call took place in the late afternoon (Vatican News, in Italian). Our earlier coverage: the flash on the call.

The request to Putin. On 16 October, according to statement B0817 (official English text), the Pope "expressed his deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance, and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population" (Statement B0817). Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, told journalists: "It was the Holy Father who took the initiative to plead the cause of this besieged city" (our translation; SIR, in Italian).

Moscow's account differs in tone. In the Kremlin readout Putin wishes the Pope a speedy recovery, calls Oleshky a "Russian" town and blames the Kyiv government for the humanitarian situation; the Kremlin also says the two sides "agreed to cooperate" on the population's safety and supplies (Kremlin). These points do not appear in the Vatican statement. Our full report: The Pope speaks with Putin.

Oleshky. According to Vatican News, about 2,000 people live in the town on the left bank of the Dnipro, including around fifty children according to Kyiv sources, without water, electricity, medicine or ambulances. The bridge to Kherson, blown up in November 2022, is destroyed and the surrounding roads are mined: there is no escape corridor. Kyiv accuses Russian forces of blocking humanitarian passages, while Moscow turns the accusation back on Kyiv (Vatican News, in Italian).

Contacts with Zelensky. Vatican News counts three meetings and three phone calls with Zelensky since the start of the pontificate (Vatican News, in Italian):
- 12 May 2025, four days after the election: first call; Zelensky invites the Pope to Kyiv.
- 18 May 2025: meeting after the Mass for the inauguration of the pontificate, with Olena Zelenska.
- 9 July 2025: private audience at Villa Barberini, Castel Gandolfo, including on the possibility of hosting negotiations in the Vatican.
- 9 December 2025: another meeting at Castel Gandolfo, on dialogue, prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia.
- 3 April 2026, at Easter: a call during a new wave of Russian attacks.
- 19 October 2026: today's call.

Contacts with Putin. Before 16 October, the Pope and Putin had spoken on 4 June 2025. According to Matteo Bruni, director of the Press Office, the Pope then appealed to Russia to make "a gesture that promotes peace"; they also discussed the humanitarian situation and prisoner exchanges (Vatican News). The Kremlin described the conversation as "constructive" (Kremlin).

The Holy See's diplomacy. Only days after his election, Vatican News recalls, the Pope offered the Vatican as a neutral venue for negotiations towards a "just and lasting" peace. On the humanitarian side, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi continues his work on prisoners and children, with two missions to Kyiv and two to Moscow, relaunched last summer by the visit of Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations (Vatican News, in Italian).

What we don't know. The sources we checked so far report no ceasefire in Oleshky and no evacuation under way. The Vatican statement on Zelensky does not report the Ukrainian president's response.

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