In their first call, Pope Leo emphasized dialogue with Putin about the Ukraine war, while the Kremlin leader claimed Kyiv was escalating the conflict after recent infrastructure attacks.

Pope Leo XIV called the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. The pontiff urged the Kremlin leader to support peace with Ukraine, states the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, according to Vatican News.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Vladimir Putin intends to retaliate “very strongly” against Ukraine for a surprise drone strike on Russian airfields over the weekend, a declaration that provoked alarm in Washington and abroad even as Trump touted his efforts to bring peace to the region.