Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump met inside St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral. The White House described the 15-minute meeting as very productive. Later, President Zelensky called it very symbolic, with the potential to become historic. The meeting came a day after US President Trump said Russia and Ukraine were very close to a deal.
The pair were pictured locked in deep discussion, minutes before the late pontiff’s funeral was due to start. The White House described the 15-minute meeting in St Peter’s Basilica as “very productive” and Zelensky later called it “very symbolic” with the “potential to become historic”.
After leaving Rome later in the day, Trump took aim at Russian President Vladimir Putin, questioning his willingness to end the war after Moscow’s strikes on Kyiv earlier this week.
Posting on his social media account, Trump said there was “no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas”, adding: “It makes me think that maybe he [Putin] doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?'”
He had previously said Russia and Ukraine were “very close to a deal” following Friday’s talks between his envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian president. The Kremlin meanwhile said on Saturday that Putin had confirmed to Witkoff Russia’s readiness to enter into direct talks with Ukraine “without preconditions”.
Trump and Zelensky’s sit down in Rome was the first time the leaders had come face-to-face since their White House meeting at the end of February, when Trump told Zelensky “you don’t have the cards” and he was not winning against Russia.
He repeated that message this week, saying the Ukrainian leader had “no cards to play”. Trump has previously blamed Ukraine for starting the war and has accused Zelensky multiple times of being an obstacle to peace negotiations.
But the White House struck a more positive tone about Saturday’s meeting, while Zelensky described the sit down as a “very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results”.
Two images were released of the meeting, showing the US leader in a blue suit and Ukrainian president in a black top and trousers, sitting opposite each other in intense conversation.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also posted an image of the meeting on X with the caption: “No words are needed to describe the importance of this historic meeting. Two leaders working for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica.”
