Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky held private face-to-face talks in St Peter’s Basilica, moments before Pope Francis’s funeral.
The two leaders sat alone in red chairs opposite each other in the imposing surroundings of the Italian High Renaissance church in Vatican City for a 15-minute conversation. In their first meeting since their public row in the Oval Office in February, the two men appeared engrossed in conversation and without officials.
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron also joined them for a private huddle in the Basilica. The Prime Minister and the French president have sought to mediate between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, who have clashed over the potential terms of a US-brokered peace deal with Russia.
A Ukrainian spokesman confirmed that President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump are scheduled to hold a second meeting later today, following what the White House described as a “very productive” initial discussion. Serhiy Nykyforov, a spokesman for Ukraine, stated: “The leaders agreed to continue their discussions today. Teams are currently working to organise the continuation of the meeting.”
The Office of the President of Ukraine released photographs of the initial meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky shortly after the conclusion of the funeral ceremony.
Prior to the service, Prince William held a brief conversation with President Trump, according to Kensington Palace. During the funeral ceremony in Rome, both President Trump and President Zelensky were seated in the front row.
A moment of spontaneous applause broke out among the gathered faithful when President Zelensky, dressed in black rather than his customary wartime attire, appeared at the papal funeral around 9:00 a.m. President Trump attended alongside First Lady Melania Trump.
President Zelensky faces mounting international pressure to consider territorial concessions to Russia as part of a Trump-brokered peace agreement.
This meeting marked the first encounter between the two leaders since President Zelensky was asked to leave the White House following a heated dispute in the Oval Office earlier this year. In February, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly admonished President Zelensky during a televised encounter, signaling a dramatic shift in the United States’ relationship with Ukraine.
Despite past tensions, President Trump stated on Friday that Russia and Ukraine were “very close to a deal” in ongoing ceasefire negotiations between the two nations.
The funeral of Pope Francis, which drew the largest gathering of global leaders since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, was widely anticipated as a focal point of diplomatic activity within the Vatican.
Image Credit : Ukraine Foreign Ministry
