Pope Leo urges Putin to allow aid into occupied Oleshky

Leo asked for a ceasefire and a voluntary evacuation for the Kherson town, where about 1,700 residents remain, including 47 children.

Pope Leo phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday and asked him to agree to a ceasefire so aid and food can enter Oleshky, a Russian occupied town in Ukraines Kherson region.

Leo also asked Putin to allow a voluntary evacuation of civilians from the town. The Vatican said Leo expressed deep concern for the humanitarian situation in Oleshky.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters the call was Leos initiative and that the pope wanted to plead the cause of the besieged town.

Two accounts of the call

The Kremlin gave a different emphasis in its account. It said Putin supported the Vatican intention to help create conditions for the safety of the town population and to organise vital supplies, and that the two sides agreed to cooperate.

The Kremlin statement did not mention a ceasefire. It also said Putin wished Leo a speedy and full recovery.

That gap between the two accounts matters. The Vatican presented the request in direct terms, with a ceasefire, aid access and evacuation at the centre. The Kremlin presented cooperation on safety and supplies, without using the ceasefire language.

A town cut down by war

Oleshky was taken by Russian forces in February 2022. Its pre-war population was about 24,000. It is still home to about 1,700 residents, including 47 children, according to Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

Russia has acknowledged critical problems with food and medical supplies in Oleshky and said its military is working to resolve them. Russia blames Ukraine for obstructing supplies. Ukraine says Russia is thwarting food deliveries.

Those opposing claims leave civilians in the middle. Food and medical supplies are short, according to Russias own acknowledgement, and each side accuses the other of blocking help.

A pope recovering from surgery

Leo, 71, is recovering at Romes Gemelli hospital after surgery for lung cancer. The Vatican said earlier on Friday he is showing steady improvement and can work and do normal daily activities.

Even from hospital, Leo placed the call himself, Parolin told reporters. It was not the first contact between the two leaders. Leo and Putin had spoken once before, in June 2025.

The Vatican reaffirmed its commitment to peace initiatives after the call. It did not announce an agreement on a ceasefire, an aid route or an evacuation timetable on Friday.

What happens next

The test now is practical. Will aid and food reach Oleshky, and will civilians who want to leave be allowed to do so voluntarily? The Kremlin said the two sides agreed to cooperate, a statement that leaves room for follow up work between the Vatican and Moscow.

For the 1,700 residents who remain, including 47 children, the need described by both the Vatican and Russia itself is immediate. Supplies are critical, the town has been occupied since the first month of the full scale war in 2022, and its population has fallen from about 24,000 to a small fraction of that number.

Leo made his plea by phone on Friday. Whether it changes conditions in Oleshky will be judged by deliveries and departures, not by statements alone.