Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump met on Saturday on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The meeting marked their first in-person interaction since a tense Oval Office confrontation earlier this year.
Zelensky’s spokesman, Sergiy Nykyforov, confirmed the meeting but provided no further details, stating only that “the meeting took place and is already over.” Both leaders, accompanied by their wives, were seated in the front row during the funeral service, though separated by nearly a dozen other world leaders. While Zelensky was seen glancing toward Trump, no public interaction between the two was observed.
The encounter comes amid heightened tensions between the two figures. In February, Trump and his Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized Zelensky during a White House meeting, accusing him of being ungrateful for the billions of dollars in U.S. military aid sent since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Trump has recently blamed Zelensky for prolonging the conflict and has pressured him to accept concessions, including recognizing Russia’s control of Crimea a move Zelensky has firmly rejected.
Arriving in Rome on Friday, Trump reiterated his call for Ukrainian and Russian leaders to meet directly, claiming that peace negotiations were making significant progress. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, “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.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the “possibility” of direct talks with Ukraine during a meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. However, any momentum was dampened by the killing of a top Russian general in a car bomb attack near Moscow.
Zelensky has remained steadfast in refusing any deal that would involve ceding Ukrainian territory. Trump, growing impatient, recently threatened to abandon his peace efforts if progress toward a ceasefire is not made soon. Though Trump previously claimed he could end the Ukraine war within 24 hours if re-elected, he clarified in a recent interview that the comment was made “in jest.”
The path to peace remains fraught, with Saturday’s brief encounter offering little evidence of a breakthrough.
