KYIV – U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky briefly met on April 26 at the Vatican during the funeral of Pope Francis, Kyiv confirmed, marking their first direct encounter since a contentious Oval Office clash earlier this year.
Trump, attending the funeral alongside dozens of world leaders in St Peter’s Basilica, used the event to engage in informal discussions on various international matters, but it was his meeting with Zelensky that attracted the most attention. Trump has been pressuring Ukraine’s leader to pursue a peace agreement with Russia, even proposing controversial concessions.
According to Zelensky’s spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov, the two leaders met privately before the service began, though no further details were disclosed. During the funeral itself, Trump and Zelensky sat in the front row but were separated by several other dignitaries, and no public interaction was observed.
The White House later described the conversation as “very productive,” without elaborating on specific topics. Tensions between the two leaders have escalated in recent months, especially after Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance sharply criticized Zelensky in February, accusing him of showing insufficient gratitude for U.S. military aid since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
While Trump has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt aggression, he has also blamed Zelensky for prolonging the conflict. Recently, Trump advocated for Ukraine to accept the loss of Crimea — annexed by Russia in 2014 — as part of any future settlement, a suggestion Zelensky firmly rejected.
Arriving in Rome the night before, Trump claimed that Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching a deal and urged high-level talks to finalize an agreement. Meanwhile, President Putin reportedly discussed the possibility of direct negotiations with a U.S. envoy, although tensions spiked after the assassination of a senior Russian general near Moscow.
With frustration mounting, Trump warned he might abandon efforts to mediate a ceasefire if tangible progress isn’t made soon. Although he once pledged to end the Ukraine war “within 24 hours” if re-elected in 2024, Trump recently told Time magazine that his claim was made partly “in jest.”