Vatican City, 20 October (H.S.): Pope Leo has appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate with Russia to facilitate the delivery of food supplies and medical assistance to the besieged city of Oleshky. According to the Vatican, the Pope also stressed the need to ensure the voluntary and safe evacuation of civilians trapped in the city.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Vatican said Pope Leo spoke with Zelensky by telephone on October 19. The Pope expressed hope that cooperation between the two sides would help open a route for delivering food and medicines to Oleshky and enable civilians to leave the city safely. Zelensky had not issued an immediate statement on the conversation.

Oleshky has been under Russian military control since February 2022. Residents have reported that the food crisis in the city is becoming increasingly severe, highlighting the urgent need to intensify humanitarian efforts to deliver essential supplies and evacuate civilians safely.

Earlier, on October 16, Pope Leo spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him to facilitate a ceasefire arrangement to enable humanitarian assistance to reach Oleshky.

Following that conversation, the Kremlin said Putin had agreed to cooperate with the Pope to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the city. However, the Kremlin’s statement did not mention a ceasefire.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar