Washington:
Donald Trump and Volodimia Zelensky met briefly in the tranquility of St. Peter’s Cathedral before Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday after a raucous White House conflict and the US president questioned whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin later wanted a peace deal.
Zelensky discussed the possibility of an unconditional ceasefire with Russia, saying he “hoping for results” from “a very iconic meeting that could become historic.”
After leaving Rome, Trump showed a new approach to the Russian president.
“There has been no reason Putin to fire missiles in civilian regions, cities or towns over the past few days,” Trump said in a post about his true social platform.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just bashing me and I’m coming to think I have to deal with it differently through “banks” or “secondary sanctions.” Too many people are almost dying!!!”
The war cast a shadow over Francis’ funeral. When that happened, Russia claimed that its forces had “fully freed” the Kursk region on the border.
However, Ukraine claimed that its troops were still fighting in Kursk, Russia’s territory.
Images released by the Ukrainian presidency show that Trump and Zelensky were leaning against deep debates in the corner of the cathedral, and at the corner of the cathedral.
“We discussed a lot one-on-one. We want all the outcomes we covered. We protect the lives of our people. A complete and unconditional ceasefire. A reliable and lasting peace that prevents another war from breaking out,” Zelensky wrote in X.
Aides to Zelensky described the meeting as “constructive,” and the White House called it “a very productive discussion.”
The US President jumped out of Rome shortly after the funeral mass and there was no further discussion.
However, the two leaders also temporarily huddled inside the basilica, along with British Prime Ministers Kiel Starmer and Emmanuel Macron.
Macron’s office described the exchange as “positive,” and later met Zelensky one-on-one.
The UK said Zelensky “discussed recent positive progress,” and agreed to “work intensively with international partners to advance the next phase of the plan.”
At St. Peter’s Square, Trump rubbed his shoulders with dozens of world leaders, and many were keen to raise the tariffs he had unleashed.
However, as American leaders are seeking peace agreements, the most interesting part was their meeting with Zelensky.
Both sides kept the prospects for the meeting vaguely before the funeral, and Trump said it was “possible.”
Tensions have been high since President Trump and Vice President JD Vance made Zelensky in their oval office on February 28th.
Derision game
Trump recently blamed Zelensky on war and ongoing bloodshed while calling on Putin to stop the Russian attacks.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, causing a conflict that killed tens of thousands of people.
Trump forced Zelensky to accept concessions such as allowing Crimea, which Moscow seized in 2014, to stay in Russia’s hands to stop the conflict.
After arriving in Rome, Trump said there had been progress in the talks and was asked by Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet.
“They are very close to the deal and both sides should now meet at a very high level to ‘finish it’,” he posted on the Truth social platform.
“Most of the key points agree,” he said.
Putin discussed the “possibility” of a direct meeting with Ukraine in a meeting with Witkov on Friday, according to a Kremlin aide.
He told Witkov that Russia is ready to resume consultations with Ukraine “without prerequisites,” the Kremlin added on Saturday.
Putin Witkov came shortly after the death of a top Russian general in a car bomb attack outside Moscow.
Last week, an increasingly frustrated Trump threatened to leave his peace efforts if he doesn’t see progress towards a ceasefire.
Some meetings
Along with his wife Melania, the US President was on his first foreign trip of his second term.
He set the center stage for major diplomatic gatherings with around 50 heads of state, including 10 monarchs and Prince William of England.
He retreated from the most serious measures at least temporarily, but he came after he rattled off his European allies by imposing temporary tariffs.
The US President shook hands with EU chief Ursula von Der Leyen. The two agreed to meet, a European Union spokesman said.
Other leaders flocked Trump too.
One person he didn’t meet: his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump attended independently with his wife Jill and repeatedly lightly pared Biden, a devout Catholic who sat in five rows behind his successor.
Previously, other presidents took their predecessors to Air Force 1.
Official images of the Vatican show Trump and Melania stopping in the closed co-op of St. Peter’s Cathedral.
Trump wore a dark blue suit and tie, while Melania wore a black veil and took the front row seat for service.
Trump said the meeting was quick and “frankly, it’s a bit rude to hold a meeting when you’re at a Pope’s funeral.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published by Syndicate Feed.)
