Pope urges Putin to agree to a ceasefire

 

TT

 

Published 20:38

 

Pope Leo XIV. The image is from October 8. Photo: Gregorio Borgia / AP / TT

Pope Leo XIV and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday, according to the Vatican.

Pope Leo urged the Russian leader to initiate a ceasefire in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to the Vatican, Leo expressed “deep concern regarding the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region.”

Pope Leo—who has just undergone surgery following the discovery of lung cancer—also stated that a Russian ceasefire is necessary “to facilitate the delivery of food and medical supplies, as well as the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population.”

According to the Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti, Putin responded by emphasizing the importance of “cooperation between Russia and the Vatican in promoting spiritual and moral values,” reports the Italian news agency ANSA.