Pope Leo XIV has had his first phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The call on the afternoon of Wednesday, 4 June, comes as tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate despite international efforts to broker a ceasefire.
The Pope’s phone conversation with Putin, confirmed by a Vatican spokesman late on Wednesday night, came the same day that United States President Donald Trump had a call with the Russian president also.
Wednesday’s conversation between the Pope and Putin marked the first conversation between the two since Leo’s election on 8 May. It follows the new Pope making it clear that resolving the conflict in Ukraine, alongside the one in Gaza, is one of his primary concerns on the global stage.
