President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken out following a “historic” meeting with President Donald Trump, after the two leaders were photographed together during Pope Francis’ funeral.
Both Trump and Zelenskyy were in Vatican City today (April 26) to attend the funeral of the late pontiff, who passed away on Easter Monday (April 21) at the age of 88.
This marked the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Zelenskyy since their widely publicized Oval Office meeting in February, which had ignited significant controversy.
The 78-year-old Republican president has frequently criticized Zelenskyy in the past, but according to sources, the two appear to have reconciled.
Reflecting on the meeting, Zelenskyy posted on Twitter:
“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. Thank you @POTUS.”
A photograph captured the moment, showing Trump and Zelenskyy seated opposite each other inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has been pressuring Ukraine to accept a peace settlement that would recognize Russian control over large areas of occupied territory — a point of significant contention in ongoing diplomatic efforts.
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took a moment during Pope Francis’ funeral to discuss the war in Eastern Europe (X/@ZelenskyyUa)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated that he will not recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, the region occupied by Moscow’s forces since 2014, nor accept continued Kremlin control over Ukraine’s south and east. He has instead called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to an unconditional end to the fighting.
Ahead of the funeral, Zelenskyy met with his American counterpart, officials from both the White House and Kyiv confirmed. White House communications director Steven Cheung described the meeting as “very productive,” while Zelenskyy’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, noted that the discussion lasted approximately 15 minutes.
Trump and Zelenskyy seem to have buried the hatchet, after the pair were pictured talking during the funeral (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
More details are expected later today, with further discussions likely to continue while both leaders are in Rome.
Posting on Truth Social yesterday, Trump confirmed he had arrived in Italy and briefly commented on the peace negotiations his administration has been working to broker between Russia and Ukraine.
“Just landed in Rome. A good day of talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine. They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off.’ Most of the major points are agreed to,” he wrote.
“Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!”
