Contemporary politics has witnessed increasing personalization, with national leaders becoming dominant figures in international media coverage. This trend raises critical questions about how foreign leaders' perceived characteristics influence public attitudes toward their nations' citizens, particularly during crises requiring international support. This research investigates which specific personality traits of national leaders most effectively promote empathy and pro-social behavior toward their citizens among foreign publics. We examine whether communal traits (warmth, morality) versus agentic traits (competence, determination) differentially impact cross-national empathy and helping behavior. We conducted experimental studies in Israel (N=354) and the United States (N=386) shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Participants were randomly assigned to read fictitious news articles highlighting different personality traits of President Zelensky (warmth, morality, competence, or determination) or served as controls. We measured empathy toward Ukrainian families in distress, general empathy toward Ukrainians, willingness to help, and actual monetary donations. Across both countries, participants exposed to articles emphasizing Zelensky's warmth or morality demonstrated significantly higher levels of empathy toward Ukrainian citizens and greater pro-social behavior compared to those exposed to competence- or determination-focused coverage. In Israel, twice as many participants in the warmth condition made actual monetary donations compared to other conditions. No significant differences emerged between control groups and competence/determination conditions. National leaders seeking to cultivate international empathy and support should emphasize communal rather than agentic personality traits in their public communications. These findings have important implications for crisis communication, international relations, and understanding how media personalization affects cross-national solidarity during humanitarian crises.