Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky had a brief meeting in the quiet of St Peter’s Basilica ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral, marking their first interaction since a heated White House exchange. Afterwards, the US president questioned whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin genuinely wants peace, reports RTE.
Mr Zelensky mentioned that they talked about the possibility of an unconditional ceasefire with Russia and expressed he was “hoping for results” from what he called a “very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic.”
After departing Rome, Mr Trump suggested he might need to rethink his strategy with Putin.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Mr Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, reports RTE.
“It makes me think that maybe he 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?’ Too many people are dying!!!” reports RTE.
The conflict loomed heavily over the funeral of Pope Francis.
Photos shared by the Ukrainian presidency showed Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky deep in conversation, sitting close together in a corner of the basilica, while the Pope’s wooden coffin rested before the altar ahead of the ceremony.
“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X, reports RTE.
A Zelensky aide described their talk as “constructive” and the White House labeled it “a very productive discussion.”
Crowds appeared to applaud as Mr Zelensky arrived for the funeral, reports RTE.
Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky also briefly conferred with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron inside the basilica.
According to Mr Macron’s office, the conversations were “positive,” and Mr Macron later had a private meeting with Mr Zelensky, reports RTE.
Britain stated that Mr Starmer and Mr Zelensky “discussed positive progress made in recent days” and agreed to “continue working intensively with international partners to drive forward the next stages of planning.”
At St Peter’s Square, Mr Trump mingled with numerous world leaders, many of whom have been critical of the tariffs he introduced, reports RTE.
However, the interaction with Mr Zelensky was the highlight, especially as the US president pushes forward with efforts toward a peace agreement.
Leading up to the funeral, both sides had kept the possibility of a meeting uncertain, with Mr Trump saying it was merely “possible.”
Tensions had lingered since February 28, when Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office, accusing him of being ungrateful for the billions of dollars in US military aid provided since Russia’s 2022 invasion, reports RTE.
Although Mr Trump has urged Mr Putin to cease Russia’s assaults, he has recently placed blame on Mr Zelensky for perpetuating the war and the ongoing casualties.
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, reports RTE.
Mr Trump has pressured Mr Zelensky to accept compromises, including the acknowledgment that Crimea, seized by Moscow in 2014, would stay under Russian control in any peace agreement.
Upon his arrival in Rome, Mr Trump stated that negotiations were making headway and encouraged both Ukrainian and Russian leaders to meet.
“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off’,” he posted on his Truth Social platform, reports RTE.
“Most of the major points are agreed to,” he said, reports RTE.
On Friday, Mr Putin reportedly spoke about the “possibility” of direct negotiations with Ukraine during a meeting with Mr Witkoff, according to a Kremlin official.
The Kremlin later said that Mr Putin told Mr Witkoff Russia is open to resuming talks with Ukraine “without preconditions,” reports RTE.
The meeting between Putin and Witkoff occurred shortly after a senior Russian general was killed by a car bomb near Moscow.
Feeling increasingly frustrated, Mr Trump last week threatened to withdraw from peace initiatives if significant progress toward a ceasefire is not made, reports RTE.
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