VATICAN CITY, November 1. /TASS/. Pope Leo XIV has expressed hope that the humanitarian mission in Alyoshki will be followed by other peace initiatives and will strengthen dialogue between the sides.

"In recent days, a humanitarian operation has been carried out to assist the civilian population in the city of Alyoshki. I hope that the cooperation between the parties, which made this necessary gesture of humanity possible, will foster a greater willingness to engage in dialogue and lead to new concrete initiatives for peace," he said during his traditional Angelus address in St Peter’s Square.

Since late September, the humanitarian situation in Alyoshki has been critical as food and medicines could not be delivered to the city amid Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks. On October 16, Pope Leo XIV held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The situation in Alyoshki was among the topics of the call.

Earlier, Russia and Ukraine agreed on a US First Lady Melania Trump-mediated ceasefire in Alyoshki to carry out a humanitarian operation. The ceasefire in the area came into force at 4:00 a.m. Moscow time (1:00 a.m. GMT) on October 27 to prepare and conduct the humanitarian operation in the city. A humanitarian mission was carried out on October 30. Several dozen tons of humanitarian aid - food, hygiene and sanitation products, fuels for power generators, and other daily essentials - were handed out to the city residents, Lantratova said. All those willing to leave the city were given the opportunity to evacuate either to Russia or to Ukraine.