Pope appeals for dialogue and concrete initiatives for peace in Ukraine

Vatican News

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed to those responsible for the ongoing war in Ukraine for “greater willingness to engage in dialogue and lead to new concrete initiatives for peace.”

Read also 31/10/2026 Civilians reach Ukraine after Oleshky evacuation backed by Pope and US First Lady Hundreds of civilians have been evacuated from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky under a rare humanitarian ceasefire. Some have reached Ukrainian-controlled territory ...

Speaking during his Angelus address in St Peter’s Square, the Pope recalled an extraordinary operation which followed diplomatic efforts and led to the evacuation of hundreds of civilians this week from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky under a rare humanitarian ceasefire.

“In recent days, a humanitarian operation has been carried out to assist the civilian population in the city of Oleshky, he said, adding, “I hope that the cooperation between the parties, which made this necessary gesture of humanity possible, will foster a greater willingness to engage in dialogue and lead to new concrete initiatives for peace.

And he entrusted to the Virgin Mary, “Queen of Peace and Queen of All Saints, all those throughout the world who are suffering because of war.”

Humanitarian ceasefire

The extraordinary humanitarian operation followed diplomatic efforts involving Pope Leo XIV and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. The American First Lady helped broker the agreement, while Pope Leo XIV personally appealed to the Russian leader to allow humanitarian assistance and civilian evacuations.

Alongside the evacuations, desperately needed food, drinking water, and medical supplies were also delivered to residents who remained in Oleshky.

The exact number evacuated has not been disclosed for security reasons, although Melania Trump indicated that more than 750 people could be evacuated.