Six days after lung surgery, pope speaks with Zelensky and renews call for 'humanitarian ceasefire' in Russian-occupied Oleshky
VATICAN CITY · UKRAINE
Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Oct. 19 (local time) and renewed his call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky, in the Kherson region. The pope had made the same request to Russian President Vladimir Putin three days earlier, on Oct. 16, and relayed it to the Ukrainian side as well. The Holy See Press Office said the call took place late that afternoon. The pope underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung at Rome's Gemelli General Hospital on Oct. 13 and was discharged on Oct. 17, speaking with the leaders of both countries in succession within six days of the operation. In Oleshky, on the left bank of the Dnipro River, about 2,000 people, by Ukrainian authorities' estimate, are trapped without food, electricity or water.
Pope relays to Zelensky the ceasefire request he made to Putin
According to the Holy See Press Office, the pope during the call "recalled the grave situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region" and "made reference to the request for a humanitarian ceasefire that he had presented to the President of the Russian Federation." He expressed hope that "cooperation between both parties will allow for the delivery of food and medical aid," and also called for the "voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population." The press office added that the pope reaffirmed the Holy See's commitment to dialogue and peace.
Nella giornata odierna, il Santo Padre Leone XIV ha avuto un colloquio telefonico con S.E. il Signor Volodymyr Zelensky, Presidente dell’Ucraina. pic.twitter.com/kfWYh61t4y
— Segreteria di Stato della Santa Sede (@TerzaLoggia) October 19, 2026
After calling on Putin for a ceasefire, the pope informed Zelensky of that request and urged cooperation between both sides to deliver relief supplies. In its Oct. 16 announcement of the call, the Kremlin said it had expressed support for the Holy See's intention to help create conditions to keep residents of Oleshky (Aleshki in Russian) safe and begin supplying essentials, and that the two sides had agreed to cooperate on the matter. The Kremlin did not use the word "ceasefire" in its statement.
According to the Vatican's media outlet Vatican News, the pope and Zelensky first spoke by phone on May 12, 2025, and first met after the pope's inauguration Mass on the 18th of the same month. The two met again at Castel Gandolfo on July 9 and Dec. 9, 2025, and spoke by phone for Easter on April 3, 2026.
Zelensky thanks pope for remembering Ukraine while ill
The Ukrainian Presidential Office released details of the call at 10:14 p.m. Kyiv time on Oct. 19, saying Zelensky wished the pope, who had undergone surgery, a "full and speedy recovery." The office described the pope's operation as "surgery to remove a growth in his right lung that had been detected at an early stage."
Zelensky said he was grateful that "His Holiness remembers Ukraine and prays for our people" even during this personally difficult time. He then briefed the pope in detail on Russia's escalation and its relentless attacks on Ukrainian cities and communities.
The two discussed "the humanitarian catastrophe in temporarily occupied Oleshky." Zelensky said Ukraine is working to help the people there and is "preparing the necessary decisions." The office said the pope informed Zelensky of his contacts with the Russian side on the matter. Zelensky also thanked the pope for his support and his efforts to achieve a dignified peace.
Pope first called Putin while in hospital
According to the Holy See Press Office, the pope expressed "deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region" during his Oct. 16 call with Putin. He requested a ceasefire so that food and medical aid could arrive and also urged the "voluntary and safe evacuation" of civilians. At the time, the pope was in Gemelli hospital after his surgery. According to the Kremlin, which released details of the call the same day, Putin wished the pope a speedy recovery and thanked him for his willingness to help resolve the conflict and for his humanitarian efforts. When the pope voiced concern about civilians in Oleshky, Putin said the difficult humanitarian situation there was "the Kiev regime's responsibility." The Kremlin described the call as "constructive and mutually respectful."
The call was proposed by the pope. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said on Oct. 16 while attending an academic conference at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, "È stato il Santo Padre che ha preso l'iniziativa per perorare la causa di questa città assediata" (It was the Holy Father who took the initiative to plead the cause of this besieged city). Parolin said there are "about 2,000 civilians who need an escape corridor" in Oleshky and that he hoped Putin would act on the pope's request.
The call between the pope and Putin was the second, following one on June 4, 2025, less than a month after Leo XIV's inauguration. The Holy See has sent Cardinal Matteo Zuppi to Moscow twice, the second visit at the end of September 2026. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See's secretary for relations with states, also visited Moscow for three days in August 2026.
On Oct. 16, the day of his call with Putin, the pope also issued a message for World Food Day. In the message, addressed to Qu Dongyu, director-general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the pope wrote, "Bread should be neither an instrument of geopolitical pressure nor a volatile financial asset." "Nor must it ever be used as a weapon of war," he wrote, adding, "it is a terrible offense against human dignity to prevent bread from reaching any person." Earlier, at the Angelus on Oct. 11, he referred to the war in Ukraine and appealed to the parties to allow the safe transport of grain across the Black Sea. "The daily bread of millions of people cannot be held hostage by war," the pope said at the time.
About 2,000 people trapped in Oleshky without food, electricity or water
Oleshky faces the city of Kherson across the Dnipro River. It is currently occupied by Russian forces. Vatican News reported that the bridge leading to Kherson has been destroyed and the roads are mined, leaving no route out.
The Kherson Regional Military Administration said on Sept. 27 that Russian forces were holding about 2,000 residents in Oleshky, nearly 50 of them children. The administration said residents were living without food, electricity or water and that routes out of the city were effectively blocked.
The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) released the results of interviews with about 20 residents of Oleshky and Hola Prystan in a June 25 report. The mission counted at least 29 civilians killed and 54 injured in the two towns since the start of 2026. On March 5, a drone struck a food distribution line in Oleshky, killing two civilians. In early May, a drone injured a local medic, and a second drone that followed shortly afterward killed the medic and a man who had come to help. On June 2, a civilian convoy carrying food and relief supplies hit a mine at the entrance to the town, killing one person and injuring three.
According to the mission, the last grocery store in Oleshky stopped operating normally in January 2026. As of June 24, no food had entered Oleshky since May 26. Four injured residents needed to be taken to Skadovsk for treatment but could not be evacuated, and one hospital patient died while waiting to be transferred. Volunteers evacuated about 180 people over several months, the largest group being 32 people who left Oleshky during a three-day lull in fighting on May 9-11. "People can't get out, food can't get in, and sick and injured are not getting the medical assistance they need," said Danielle Bell, head of the mission, adding, "There is a desperate need for a local ceasefire."
Ukrainian authorities estimate that up to 6,000 civilians remain in front-line villages in occupied parts of Kherson region, including Oleshky, more than 180 of them children. The mission said Ukraine and Russia had discussed a local ceasefire for evacuations but had not reached agreement.
Ukraine continues delivering food across the river by drone
According to the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Ukrainian forces and the administration have been flying food across the Dnipro River to Oleshky by drone since March. Units taking part in the operations include the 30th Marine Corps, the 34th Marine Brigade "Borysfen," the "Volharich" unit of the National Guard's 11th Brigade, the National Guard's 34th Regiment and the 79th Border Guard detachment. In a delivery the administration cited as one of its largest operations, "about 4,000 kg of food was sent at once to 100 designated points in the city."
The administration alleged that Russian forces shoot down drones carrying relief supplies and seize or resell food meant for children and the elderly. It also said Russian forces detain and beat residents who receive aid packages. It described deliberately blocking aid and creating starvation as "a war crime with no statute of limitations."
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament's commissioner for human rights (ombudsman), said on April 1, "Oleshky is not living, but surviving." He said he had asked the Russian human rights commissioner and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in early March for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians, adding, "This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is deliberate terror committed by the Russian Federation against civilians." Lubinets regarded the situation not as a byproduct of war but as a deliberate Russian policy, and also cited the aftermath of the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. As grounds, he cited Articles 55 and 59 of the Geneva Convention, which set out the occupying power's obligation to supply the population with food and medicine.
Oleshky is not living — it is surviving. No drinking water. No electricity. No gas. People are counting every sip of water to survive one more day.
— Dmytro Lubinets (@lubinetzs) April 1, 2026
I have appealed to both Russia and the ICRC — demanding a humanitarian corridor and compliance with the Geneva Convention. Nearly a… pic.twitter.com/2hgBHI1ubc