Pope-Putin call confirmed by the Kremlin

Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin, the Holy See Press Office announced in a late-afternoon bulletin.

The call focused on Ukraine. The Pope expressed “deep concern for the serious humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region.” He called for “a truce to allow food and medical aid to arrive and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population,” and reaffirmed “the Holy See's commitment to dialogue and peace.”

The Kremlin confirmed the call, according to Russia's Interfax agency. Russian state agency Sputnik reports that Putin wished the Pope a speedy recovery after his surgery. That detail comes only from Russian sources and is not in the Vatican statement.

The call took place while the Pope is still at the Gemelli hospital. #LeoXIV #Vatican #Putin #Ukraine