Both leaders spoke positively of their meeting.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a brief one-on-one discussion inside St. Peter’s Basilica on April 26 before convening with other leaders to attend Pope Francis’s funeral.
The conversation took place before the funeral Mass began, at a point in the morning when the Vatican’s vast basilica was shut to allow world leaders and diplomats to visit the pontiff’s closed coffin and pay their respects.
Pictures showing Trump and Zelenskyy seated in a corner as if they just pulled up a couple of chairs, hunched over deep in discussion, were shared across social media.
This was the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Zelenskyy since their heated meeting in the Oval Office in February that ended with Zelenskyy being asked to leave.
Many of those who shared it commented on the significance of their meeting place, including Trump’s National Security Advisor, Michael Waltz, who said, “Nothing like some tough diplomacy in one of the most beautiful places in the world.”
The White House later confirmed that the sitdown took place.
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“President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion,” Steven Cheung, White House communications director, told reporters. “More details about the meeting will follow.”
No further discussion was had after the funeral. Trump and first lady Melania Trump quickly returned to Air Force One afterward to fly back to the United States.
Zelenskyy thanked Trump and said it was a good meeting.
This meeting came less than 24 hours after Trump announced he had “a good day in talks and meetings” with Ukraine and Russia.
“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,” the president wrote on Truth Social. ”Stop the bloodshed, now. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the end to this cruel and senseless war!”
In a follow-up post to his social media platform, Trump reiterated his stance that President Barack Obama was responsible for allowing Crimea to fall into Russian hands, and that the ongoing conflict belongs to President Joe Biden.
However, he expressed doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace after all and could face more U.S. sanctions for the war to end.
Putin expressed his condolences and praised Pope Francis for his “dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches as well as constructive cooperation between Russia and the Holy See.” However, the Kremlin announced on April 22 that he would not attend the funeral.
