President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly on Saturday before the funeral for Pope Francis as the American leader steps up pressure to end Russia's war against Ukraine. It was the first face-to-face encounter between the presidents since they argued during a heated Oval Office meeting at the White House in late February, per the AP. After the funeral, on his flight home, Trump questioned in a social media post whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is committed to ending the war. "There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days" in Ukraine, Trump wrote, per NBC News. "It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along."
The Trump-Zelensky get-together lasted about 15 minutes inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, where Francis often preached the need for a peaceful end to the war, just before the two took their seats at the funeral service. Zelensky noted a "good meeting" on social media afterward. "We discussed a lot one on one," he wrote on X. "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 also made sure to say "thank you." The White House called the discussion "very productive" and said it would release more details.
The Vatican long ago offered to help facilitate peace talks, and Francis had regularly called for peace and dialogue. That Trump and Zelensky spoke privately, face-to-face and hunched over on chairs on the marbled floors of the pope's home, on the day of his funeral, was perhaps a fitting way to honor his wishes. The meeting came together hours after Trump said on social media that Russia and Ukraine should meet "at very high levels" on ending the three-year war that was sparked by Russia's invasion. Trump has pressed both sides to quickly come to an agreement to end the war, but while Zelensky agreed to an American plan for an initial 30-day halt to hostilities, Russia hasn't signed on and has continued to strike at targets inside Ukraine.
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Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had met on Friday with Putin in Moscow, and Trump then said both sides were "very close to a deal." Zelensky's office first said teams were making arrangements for he and Trump to talk again Saturday, but a rep said later that tight scheduling ruled out another chat. Trump told aides he wanted to get to his golf club in New Jersey before the day was out, per the New York Times.
This story has been updated with Trump's post. (More President Trump stories.)
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