Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Pope Leo for offering to help resolve the Ukraine conflict in a recent phone call which the Kremlin made public on Thursday. It was the first such call since the new pope was installed in Rome.
Putin in the call accused Ukraine of escalating the war, an assertion which strongly suggests the call was held within the last few days, likely on Wednesday, following the latest major attacks on Russian airbases, and drone and bridge sabotage operations.
Putin in the call further expressed appreciation for the Pope’s willingness to assist in ending the conflict, and humanitarian efforts, after the Vatican last month offered to host peace talks on 'neutral' ground.
The Russian leader has of late denounced the 'terrorism' of the Zelensky government, especially in targeting several trains and bridges, leaving scores of civilians dead and injured.
"The Kiev regime is banking on escalating the conflict and is carrying out sabotage against civilian infrastructure sites on Russian territory," Putin told Pope Leo.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had dismissed the Vatican as an appropriate venue for peace talks, describing that a conflict set amidst the backdrop of Orthodox lands should not have a Roman Catholic mediator.
Lavrov also pointed out there's a small minority of Catholics in Western Ukraine, meaning that the Vatican would not make for a fully neutral venue.
Putin in the call addressed also the religious dynamic at play in the Ukraine war, per a readout:
"The conversation was constructive. Both sides expressed their intention to maintain contact," the Kremlin said.
Putin also expressed hope that the Holy See would more effectively encourage religious freedom in Ukraine. "Due to the Kiev regime's well-known commitment to dismantling the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the hope was expressed that the Holy See would be more active in speaking out in support of freedom of religion in Ukraine," the statement reads.
The Kremlin has reiterated that the "root causes" of the war must be addressed, and that Ukraine's neutral status vis-a-vis NATO is paramount. Moscow sees continual NATO expansion east as this ultimate 'root cause' of the war.
The evidence of state-sponsored persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is overwhelming—see for yourself. While Ukrainian men valiantly defend their country at the front, their families are being brutalized by Zelensky's regime at home.
— Catherine Whiteford 🇺🇲 (@CEWhiteford) June 2, 2025
In this video, you will see… pic.twitter.com/bzEBsweoGH
Statements of the prior Pope Francis appeared sympathetic to this view, and the late Pontiff had several times called out the Western arms industry for fueling the conflict. However, when it comes to the religious freedom of Orthodox Christians, the pope has yet to firmly weigh in on the issue.
