Putin Talks Peace with Pope Leo

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday, in which he claimed to favour a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine, while accusing Kyiv of trying to escalate the conflict.

The Kremlin described the discussion as “constructive”, with President Putin reaffirming his “interest in achieving peace through political and diplomatic means”.

In its official statement, the Kremlin said the Russian president warned Pope Leo that the “Kyiv regime is counting on escalating the conflict and carrying out sabotage actions against civilian infrastructure on Russian territory.”

This was reported by the news outlet Ziare.

Putin also repeated Russia’s conditions for peace, which include Ukraine withdrawing from the four regions Russia claimed to annex in 2022 — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — and abandoning its NATO ambitions.

Ukraine, meanwhile, insists on an unconditional ceasefire as a starting point for talks, a condition Russia has rejected, arguing that it would allow Ukraine to regroup and rearm with Western support.

Although Russia and Ukraine held two rounds of direct talks in Istanbul early in the conflict, the Kremlin has since continued to push what Kyiv and Western nations view as maximalist and unacceptable demands.

Recent Strikes and Escalating Hostilities

The phone call comes amid a rise in cross-border attacks.

Ukraine recently claimed responsibility for a drone operation known as “Spider Web,” which reportedly damaged or destroyed several Russian military aircraft, including strategic bombers.

Russia also blames Ukraine for explosions that collapsed two bridges and derailed three trains over the weekend, which officials say killed seven people and injured over 100, including children.

Kyiv confirmed on Tuesday that it had carried out an explosives attack on the Crimean Bridge — a major piece of infrastructure linking mainland Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014 but which is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.

During the call, Putin also criticised Ukraine’s crackdown on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church aligned with the Moscow Patriarchate, saying the church had once been the country’s largest religious body.

He urged the Vatican to “engage more actively in favour of freedom of worship in Ukraine”.

The Vatican, in its own statement, said the two leaders paid “special attention” to the situation in Ukraine and the need for peace. Pope Leo XIV reportedly called on Russia to take a gesture toward peace and stressed the importance of dialogue and humanitarian support.

The Holy See also said the conversation touched on prisoner exchanges and praised the work of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who has been leading the Vatican’s mediation efforts.

President Putin thanked the Pope “for his willingness to contribute to the resolution of the conflict”, the Kremlin said.