Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met on Saturday — their first encounter since a heated exchange at the White House two months ago.
The two leaders held a discussion inside St. Peter’s Basilica, ahead of the Pope’s funeral, with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer present during the initial moments.
Zelenskyy and Trump had not met since their heated exchange in the Oval Office on February 28, in which Trump said of Ukraine’s war against Russia, “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out.”
Brian Snyder/REUTERS
Four days later, Trump announced a pause in US military aid, and the EU declared “an era of rearmament,” as it unveiled a defense funding boost.
The Oval Office meeting was in the glare of the world’s press, but photos of the Rome meeting show Trump and Zelenskyy seated close together, without aides or interpreters.
Andrii Yermak, a senior aide to Zelenskyy, shared a photo of the leaders in St. Peter’s Basilica on Telegram. “Constructive,” he wrote.
Steven Cheung, White House communications director, called it a “very productive discussion.”
Posting X, Zelenskyy said the encounter had been a “good meeting.”
“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. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results,” he said.
The Rome meeting comes after Steve Witkoff, Trump’s designated peace envoy, travelled to Moscow for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov said the talks centered on “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.”
Following Witkoff’s return, Trump said on Truth Social that “most of the major points are agreed to” and that a cease-fire deal between Kyiv and Moscow was “very close.”
As he prepared to leave for Rome on Friday, Trump told reporters that the talks were “very fragile.” He has also warned that the US might halt its mediation efforts if a deal isn’t reached soon.
After the meeting on Saturday, Zelenskyy was greeted with applause when he walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after paying his respects in front of the pontiff’s coffin.
Trump later wrote a long post on Truth Social, in which he called the war in Ukraine “Sleepy Joe Biden’s War, not mine. It was a loser from day one.”
The long post ended, “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. 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!!!”
