VATICAN CITY — Russian President Vladimir Putin told Pope Leo XIV on Friday that he backed a Vatican plan to get supplies into Oleshky, the Russian-controlled town in southern Ukraine where residents face a deepening food crisis, the Kremlin said.
The agreement to cooperate came in a phone call Leo placed from Rome, where he is recovering in hospital. The Holy See Press Office said Leo voiced deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and asked for a ceasefire so food and medical assistance could reach the town. He also sought a voluntary, safe evacuation for civilians who want to leave.
The Kremlin statement did not mention a ceasefire. It said the Vatican’s intention to help create conditions to keep the town’s people safe and to organise vital supplies had been supported, and that the two sides had agreed to cooperate.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, told reporters the call was Leo’s idea. The pope, he said, wanted to plead the cause of the besieged city.
Leo, 71, is at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital after lung surgery on Oct. 13. Earlier on Friday the Vatican said he was showing steady improvement and could work and carry out normal daily activities. The Kremlin said Putin wished him a speedy and full recovery.
Oleshky sits on the Dnieper River, close to the front line. Russian forces took it in Feb. 2022. Its pre-war population was about 24,000. Around 1,700 people are still there, including 47 children, according to Danielle Bell, who heads the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Getting aid in has proved close to impossible. Drone strikes and mined roads have blocked supply runs, and attempts to drop aid by drone have largely failed since the last substantial food delivery in May, according to reporting on the crisis.
The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations appealed on Sept. 19 for Leo and other religious leaders to intervene. The council put the number of civilians in Oleshky and nearby communities at more than 6,000, including some 200 children, trapped near the front line.
Ukraine and Russia blame each other. Russia has acknowledged serious problems with food and medical supplies in the town and said its military is working on them, while blaming Ukraine for obstructing deliveries. Ukraine says Russia is the one thwarting food shipments and has refused evacuations and aid.
Friday’s conversation was only the second known call between Leo and Putin. They last spoke on June 4, 2025. The Holy See said Leo closed by reaffirming its commitment to promoting dialogue and peace.
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