Pope Leon XIV asked Putin a “gesture to favor peace” in Ukraine, in their first telephone conversation

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed telephone with Pope Leon XIV, Wednesday afternoon, notes AFP. During the conversation, the Sovereign Pontiff pressed the Kremlin leader to make a “gesture that favors peace” in discussions about the conflict in Ukraine, the Vatican said.

During the afternoon talk, the first since Leon became a leader of the Catholic Church, “Pope launched a call to Russia to favor peace and emphasized the importance of dialogue to establish positive contacts between the parties and find conflict solutions,” the Vatican said.

“The Pontiff's sovereign for his willingness to contribute to solving the crisis was expressed, especially for the Vatican's participation in solving difficult humanitarian problems, on a depoliticized basis,” the Kremlin statement also shows.

Putin stated in the telephone discussion “that the Kiev regime relies on conflict and performs sabotage against civil infrastructure on Russia,” the Kremlin statement shows, cataloging these actions as terrorism, Reuters reports.

The Kremlin claims that the “deep causes” of the conflict should be addressed, referring to Russia's requests that Ukraine adopt a neutral status and NATO to exclude the extension to the east.

Russia has tried to cultivate good relationships with the new Pope and his predecessor, Francis, especially on humanitarian issues, such as reunification of families, notes Reuters.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and other officials, said the Vatican is not a suitable place for peace discussions between two majority Orthodox countries.