On Saturday, April 26th, during the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, United States President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a one-on-one meeting at the Vatican Cathedral to promote the stalled Russia-Ukraine peace process.
Zelensky expressed that the meeting had historical significance as it held the potential to achieve the peace results he desired. A White House spokesperson described the meeting as “very productive.”
According to information and photos released by Zelensky’s office, the two leaders sat facing each other inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, with no entourage present, and they conversed for about 15 minutes.
This Vatican meeting marks the first encounter between the two leaders since their contentious meeting at the Oval Office in Washington back in February, at a crucial moment in the Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations.
Zelensky posted on the social media platform Telegram, saying, “The meeting was pleasant. We had an in-depth one-on-one discussion and are looking forward to positive outcomes.”
He mentioned that the issues discussed included “protecting people’s lives, achieving a comprehensive unconditional ceasefire, establishing a reliable lasting peace to prevent a war resurgence.”
Zelensky added, “This is a very symbolically significant meeting that could be a historic turning point. Thank you, President Trump!”
The White House Communications Director Steven Cheung stated that the private meeting between the two was “constructive,” and more details would be released later.
A spokesperson for Zelensky had earlier revealed that teams from both sides were negotiating to arrange a follow-up meeting later on Saturday in Rome. However, there was no announcement regarding a second meeting when Trump’s plane departed from Rome.
In a second photo taken at the same location, Zelensky, Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron closely stood together. Macron had his hand on Zelensky’s shoulder.
Following their meeting at the cathedral, Trump and Zelensky, along with other world leaders, attended the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square.
Trump has been urging both Russia and Ukraine to reach a ceasefire agreement. He stated on Friday that his special envoy had engaged in “significant” talks with Russian leaders in Moscow and called for high-level talks between Russia and Ukraine to finalize an agreement.
Trump had previously warned that if an agreement could not be reached in the near future, the US would cease its efforts to facilitate peace.