VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for the first time in a phone call Wednesday (June 4), according to Vatican and Russian officials, and agreed to extend Pope Francis’ efforts to build ties between the two countries.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin congratulated the pontiff on his election and acknowledged Francis’ “immense personal contribution” to furthering relations between the Holy See and Russia. Putin and Leo XIV “agreed to pursue efforts to develop these ties further on the basis of common spiritual and moral values with a view to establishing a more just world order,” the statement added.
The Kremlin statement also said the two leaders discussed a joint effort to protect Christian holy sites, especially in the Middle East.
But most significantly for Europeans weary of three years of war on their eastern frontier, the Russian president pledged to seek peace in Ukraine.
“While exchanging views with the pope on the situation in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his willingness to achieve peace through political and diplomatic means, pointing out that in order to reach an ultimate, fair, and thorough resolution, it was necessary to eliminate the root causes of the crisis,” the statement read.
Putin thanked the pope for his contribution toward resolving the conflict, while adding that Ukraine “was banking on escalating the conflict.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Kremlin in Moscow, April 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
On Sunday, Ukraine launched a surprise drone attack on Russian air bases, which followed an aerial strike on Ukrainian cities by Russia in late May that killed 13 civilians.
The Holy See confirmed the conversation between the heads of the world’s largest and smallest countries in a statement on Telegram. “The Pope called on Russia to take a step that would help promote peace,” the Vatican statement read. “He emphasized the importance of dialogue to create positive contact between the parties and to work toward solutions to the conflict.”
According to a May 16 statement by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the second-highest-ranking official at the Vatican, that was later confirmed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Leo has offered to host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican.
In May 2023, Francis appointed Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the head of the Italian bishops conference and an experienced diplomat, as the Vatican’s peace envoy in the Ukrainian conflict. Zuppi’s work, which has led him to meetings with world leaders in Russia, Ukraine, China and the United States, focused especially on the humanitarian issues surrounding the war, including prisoner exchange and reuniting children with their families.
According to the Kremlin, in Wednesday’s call with the pope Putin “detailed specific agreements” between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, particularly concerning the exchange of prisoners and bodies of dead soldiers, and emphasized the Russian efforts to reunite children with their families.
Putin and Leo “talked about the humanitarian situation, the need to support aid efforts where needed, the ongoing work to arrange prisoner exchanges, and the valuable role played by Cardinal Zuppi in these efforts,” the Vatican said.
Leo “highlighted how shared Christian values can be a guiding light in seeking peace, defending life, and pursuing true religious freedom,” during the call, the Vatican said.
Ukraine banned religious organizations tied to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2024, with human rights organizations raising the alarm for religious freedom in the country, a sentiment that was echoed by Francis.
“The hope was expressed that the Holy See would be more active in speaking out in support of freedom of religion in Ukraine,” the Kremlin statement read.
