The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church met with Pope Leo XIV on October 23, expressing gratitude for the humanitarian and diplomatic support of the Holy See. Major Archbishop of Kyiv–Galicia Sviatoslav Shevchuk presented the Holy Father with a list of hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia, as the Holy See continues to work for the release of captives.
The meeting came ahead of a planned October 29 local truce in the Russian-occupied Oleshky, where civilians are suffering from a severe food crisis. The White House said on October 23 that First Lady Melania Trump had brokered the ceasefire, intended to allow humanitarian aid to enter the city and facilitate civilian evacuations.
