The call came just days after the pope spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the same subject, according to a statement from the Vatican's Press Office. The pontiff, 71 and Chicago-born, has made the city in the Kherson region a focus of his diplomatic efforts during Russia's invasion.
"During the conversation, the Holy Father drew attention to the serious situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, referring to the request for a humanitarian truce already submitted to the President of the Russian Federation," the Vatican statement said. "The Holy Father expressed the hope that the cooperation of both sides will allow food and medical aid to reach the city and ensure the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population."
The Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, has announced that Ukraine and Russia are finalising details of a civilian evacuation from Oleshky and six nearby settlements.
The call is the latest in a series of contacts between Leo and Zelenskyy since the pope's election. They first spoke by phone in May 2025, when Zelenskyy invited him to Kyiv and reiterated Ukraine's readiness for negotiations. They met later that month after the pope's inaugural mass, then again in July and December 2025, and most recently on 3 April this year as Russian drone and missile attacks escalated. Past discussions have covered peace talks, prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia.