MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and new Pope Leo XIV agreed in their first phone talk that they will maintain communication in the future, the Kremlin press service reported.

"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.