POPE LEO XIV SPEAKS WITH ZELENSKY AFTER PUTIN CALL ON OCCUPIED OLESHKY CRISIS

What happened: Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, Oct. 19, three days after speaking with Vladimir Putin, as the Vatican pressed for humanitarian access to Russian-occupied Oleshky in the Kherson region. Key numbers: Call with Zelensky on Oct. 19; call with Putin on Oct. 16; Oleshky under Moscow's control since 2022. Why it matters: The pope repeated his request for a humanitarian ceasefire so food and medical aid can reach trapped civilians. No humanitarian corridor or temporary ceasefire has been confirmed despite the successive calls.

Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, Oct. 19, three days after speaking with Vladimir Putin, as the Vatican pressed for humanitarian access to Russian-occupied Oleshky in the Kherson region.

The pope repeated his request for a humanitarian ceasefire so food and medical aid can reach trapped civilians. No humanitarian corridor or temporary ceasefire has been confirmed despite the successive calls.