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The pontiff called for a truce amid ‘the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky’
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Pope Leo has urged a ceasefire and expressed his “deep concern” over the situation in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky in a phone call with Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to the Russian leader on Friday, the pontiff called for a truce to allow the entry of first aid and food supplies into the town and permit a voluntary evacuation of the civilian population.
The Kremlin said Putin had supported the Vatican initiative to help deliver supplies and agreed to cooperate.
He also wished the pope “good health and a speedy recovery” after he had surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his lung earlier this week.
“As the supreme pontiff expressed concern over the fate of civilians in the Russian town of Oleshky, Kherson Region, he was provided with a comprehensive explanation as to the Kyiv regime’s responsibility for the difficult humanitarian situation there,” a statement from the Kremlin said.
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Russia was “playing games” around negotiations and insisted Putin did not want the war to end.
“Of course the priority is negotiations,” he told the European Parliament. “Putin does not seek negotiations now in any format. He’s now playing these games of words.”
Donald Trump is “exacerbating and prolonging” the war in Ukraine, his former Russia adviser has claimed.
Fiona Hill, who worked under the president during his first term, has accused him of blaming Ukraine for domestic issues he has caused in the US, and also described him as being “unbelievably vulnerable” to Vladimir Putin.
Asked what his strategy on Ukraine was, she told Sky News: “His strategy is just about himself. Trump is worrying about the midterms, which are coming up very quickly.
“The expectation is that the Republican Party will get a trouncing because of Trump’s own failure to handle so many of the domestic issues as well as the foreign policy portfolio because he’s dragged the United States into a war with Iran, which is the main reason for skyrocketing prices of petrol and diesel.
“Trump is trying to blame Ukraine for this and say that the majority of the pricing increases is because of Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries.”
Volodymyr Zelensky praised “real leaders” for backing his country in an apparent swipe at US president Donald Trump.
The Ukrainian president said reporters it was “crucial” to count on support from allies and praised “real leaders” for backing Kyiv. “I am thankful the EU stands with us,” he said.
Zelensky’s comments came after Trump said Ukraine’s resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries was a “disgrace” that would keep global energy prices elevated.
“I’m not a big fan of Zelensky,” he told Newsmax. “I think they actually both would like to see it end, but I think I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.”
Kyiv’s forces struck Russian oil refineries on Thursday, defying Trump and his “energy ceasefire”.
Donald Trump has said that he does not believe either either he or Elon Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access in a way that affected its military operations against Russia.
The reduction in services provided by the satellite company interrupted communications with headquarters and caused internet speeds to drop. Reuters reported on Thursday that the White House approved the reduction in Starshield services.
Trump, speaking to reporters as he left the White House on a trip to Georgia, said neither he nor Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access.
Any limit to Ukraine’s access to the Starshield system was not imposed by the United States, Trump added. Starshield was developed by SpaceX specifically for government and national-security customers, particularly the US department of defence. Starshield uses the Starlink constellation as its backbone.
Trump also he has a good relationship with Volodymyr Zelensky, despite earlier saying he “was not a big fan” of the Ukrainian leader.
Donald Trump is reportedly considering lifting sanctions on Russia and Iran’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers in a desperate bid to bring down diesel prices ahead of the November midterm elections.
A Treasury department official told the FT the administration was considering allowing the sale of blacklisted vessels to “legitimate” operators and lifting sanctions so they could trade in the global market.
Russia is drawing up a “security zone” inside Ukraine along their border, which will be non-negotiable in any future talks with Kyiv, Vladimir Putin has said.
During a visit to a command post, the Russian leader said the operation was in response to Ukraine’s 2024-25 incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region.
“The Russian armed forces were tasked not only with expelling the enemy from our land but also with establishing a security zone in the adjacent territory. This task is being carried out successfully,” he said in televised comments.
“Our goal is to ensure the absolute security of Russias border regions for the future, and we do not plan to make this a subject for potential peace negotiations with Ukraine.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the planned security zone spanned 660 km (410 miles), of which 70 per cent was currently under Russia’s control.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has received assurances from US counterpart Pete Hegseth that satellite access to Starlink for Ukraine has been fully restored, as the UK minister quoted St Francis of Assisi in an attempt to “bring harmony” between Kyiv and Washington.
Speaking during his inaugural trip to Washington DC as Defence Secretary, Mr Streeting said Mr Hegseth confirmed the critical satellite communications network was functioning again. The root cause of the blackout remains unknown, coming during a period of heightened friction between the United States and Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin has said he supported a Vatican initiative to help deliver supplies to civilians in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshky after Pope Leo raised the issue with him on Friday.
The pontiff had urged Russia’s leader to agree to a truce to allow the entry of first aid and food supplies into the town and to permit a voluntary evacuation of the civilian population.
Russia and Ukraine both accuse each other of blocking supplies to the population of the town which Ukrainian forces want to retake.
“The Vatican’s intention to help create the conditions necessary to ensure the safety of the town’s population and to organise vital supplies has been supported,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“It has been agreed to cooperate on this matter.”
Pope Leo has expressed “deep concern” over the humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky.
In a call with Vladimir Putin on Friday, the pontiff urged Russia’s leader for a truce to allow the entry of first aid and food supplies into the town and permit a voluntary evacuation of the civilian population.
A statement from the Holy See press office said: “During the conversation, the Holy Father expressed his deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance, and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population.
“Finally, the Holy Father reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace.”
Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that Kyiv is “done” supporting a ceasefire on energy targets announced by Donald Trump after it was ignored by Russia.
Trump made the surprise announcement on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt attacks on energy, after which Kyiv suspended strikes on refineries while Russia continued launching air attacks across Ukraine.
“The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done,” Mr Zelensky told the Financial Times, after Russian strikes on power stations knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people.
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