United States President Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelensky, his Ukrainian counterpart, on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ burial.
Photos showed the presidents meeting one-on-one inside St Peter’s Basilica, sitting opposite each other, and leaning forward to talk in the large marble hall.
It is the first face-to-face conversation between Trump and the Ukrainian leader since the two, along with US Vice President JD Vance, argued during a heated Oval Office meeting in late February.
A White House official said the US and Ukrainian presidents had a “very productive discussion” at the pope’s funeral.
Advertisement
Zelesnky said it was a “good meeting” and that he hoped for results on everything that was covered.
“Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” he said, outlining the topics of discussion.
“Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”
Advertisement
A Ukrainian official said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and that Zelensky and Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
Shortly after arriving in Rome late Friday, Trump said Ukraine and Russia should meet for “very high-level talks” on ending the three-year war.
Before Trump’s social media post, Steve Witkoff, US special envoy to the Middle East, met earlier with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump said both sides were “very close to a deal”.
Advertisement
Putin did not attend the funeral.
