Pope Leo has asked Russian president Vladimir Putin to allow a ceasefire to enable aid and food supplies to enter the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, the Vatican said on Friday.
In a telephone call, the pope also expressed “deep concern” for the humanitarian situation in the town, taken by Russian forces in February 2022, and which faces a deepening food crisis, the Vatican said.
Leo and Putin are known to have spoken once previously, in June 2025. The pope also reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to any initiatives for peace, the Vatican said.
The pope (71), is recovering at Rome’s Gemelli hospital after surgery for lung cancer. The Vatican said earlier on Friday that he is showing steady improvement and is able to work and do normal daily activities. It released the first images of the pope since his surgery, showing him celebrating Mass and standing unaided.
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Russia has acknowledged critical problems with food and medical supplies in Oleshky and said its military was working to resolve them. It blamed Ukraine for the crisis, saying it was obstructing those supplies getting to the town.
Oleshky, in Ukraine’s Kherson region, had a pre-war population of some 24,000, and 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.
Leo will be seen leading a traditional noon prayer on Sunday, the Vatican said, while preparations continue for his planned November trip to South America.
The pope was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung in an operation on Tuesday.
Leo underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray this morning, “confirming steady improvement in his overall condition”, according to the latest medical bulletin on his condition.
“His post-operative recovery is allowing him to carry out normal daily activities with full independence,” it said. – Reuters
