The President of the United States met privately with the Ukrainian leader at St. Peter's Basilica before the final farewell to the Pope
His appearance was met with applause in St. Peter's Square. In contrast, Russia did not send its president Vladimir Putin, but rather its Minister of Culture, Olga Lyubimova.
Meanwhile, Trump also had indirect meetings with Russian representatives. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin on Friday. After that meeting, Putin announced that Russian forces had retaken the city of Kursk, which had been captured by Ukraine in a surprise operation last August.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, met on Saturday in Rome during the funeral of Pope Francis, marking their first face-to-face meeting since their tense discussion in the Oval Office in February.
The meeting, described as "very productive" by the White House communications director, Steven Cheung, lasted approximately 15 minutes and took place in St. Peter's Basilica. Although the details of the conversation were not disclosed, both leaders noted the symbolic importance of the meeting.
Zelenskiy commented that he expected concrete results from the meeting and emphasized the need for a complete ceasefire and a lasting peace to prevent future conflicts.
Photos of Trump and Zelenskiy, along with other leaders like British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, circulated widely on social media. Macron and Zelenskiy also held separate bilateral talks.
The context of this meeting is especially delicate, as it occurs amid stalled peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Trump has been leading an initiative to reach an agreement, although his recent public statements have caused tensions with an uncooperative Zelenskiy.
On his Truth Social network, Trump blamed the Ukrainian leader for delaying the peace process and accused him of prolonging the conflict with his statements. "He can have peace, or he can keep fighting for three more years before losing the whole country," wrote the president.
These tensions date back to their altercation at the White House, where Trump, Zelenskiy, and Vice President JD Vance had a heated discussion related to a rare minerals agreement.
According to reports, the meeting turned hostile after a comment considered condescending by Zelenskiy toward Vance. Since then, Trump has publicly pressured Ukraine to sign the agreement, which would grant the United States strategic access to Ukrainian rare minerals.
Zelenskiy, who had hesitated to attend the funeral due to a deadly Russian missile attack in Kyiv that left 12 dead and 87 injured, finally arrived in Rome accompanied by the Ukrainian First Lady, Olena Zelenska.
The previous week was marked by Zelenskiy's rejection of a US-led peace proposal in Paris, which suggested that Ukraine accept the loss of territories occupied by Russia and renounce its aspiration to join NATO.
This led to the cancellation of a key meeting in London by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Witkoff. The White House harshly criticized Zelenskiy's public stance, calling it damaging to the negotiations.
Despite the differences, Trump stated on Saturday that talks with both parties were productive and that there is a high probability of reaching an agreement. "Most of the important points are already agreed upon.
Let's stop the bloodshed now," he wrote on Truth Social, assuring that the United States is willing to act as a mediator in the final stages.
The funeral was also an occasion filled with religious and diplomatic symbolism. Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, did not attend the event despite having visited the Pope shortly before his death.
Although Trump and Pope Francis had disagreements in the past, especially on immigration, the president expressed admiration for the pontiff, describing him as a "good man" who "loved the world."
