On Sunday, Pope Leo said he anticipated that cooperation between Russia and Ukraine in implementing a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky would lay the groundwork for more comprehensive peace initiatives.
On October 23, Ukraine and Russia said they had agreed to a ceasefire in Oleshky brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump with the additional intervention of Pope Leo to facilitate aid deliveries and evacuations from the besieged town which has been experiencing severe food and medicine shortages.
The Pope said in a statement, “A humanitarian operation has been carried out to help the civilian population in the city of Oleshky. I hope that the cooperation between the parties, which made this necessary humanitarian gesture possible, will strengthen their willingness to engage in dialogue and lead to fresh concrete initiatives for peace..”
The Kremlin said that Pope Leo spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy on October 16, though Putin told Leo that he endorsed a Vatican effort to provide relief to Oleshky residents and agreed to work together.
Furthermore, the Vatican’s foreign minister Archbishop Paul Ricahrd Gallagher explained that although Leo had spoken with Putin and Zelenskyy, he did not believe the Vatican had played a direct role in negotiating the six-day ceasefire.
