Mathias Busekist
It was their first time meeting since their confrontation at the White House.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came face-to-face for the first time since their dramatic confrontation at the White House earlier this year, Sky News reports. According to a source speaking to the outlet, the two leaders engaged in a “very productive discussion” after travelling to Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.
Earlier this week, Trump claimed that a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia was “very close” and urged Zelenskyy to seize the moment.
“We are very close to a deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
He further stated, “I look forward to being able to help Ukraine and Russia get out of this complete and total MESS, that would have never started if I were president!”
On Thursday, Trump condemned a Russian drone strike on Kyiv that killed at least nine civilians and injured 90 others, marking the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital since last July.
Expressing his disapproval on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Following their conversation at the service, Trump and Zelenskyy have reportedly agreed to hold further talks. UNILAD has reached out to the White House for comment.
The funeral proceedings for Pope Francis commenced today (April 26) at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, drawing hundreds of thousands of mourners, including world leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Prince William.
However, controversy quickly followed Trump’s arrival at the ceremony. Accompanied by his wife Melania, Trump faced criticism online for wearing a blue suit instead of traditional black attire. Social media users lambasted the former president, calling his choice of outfit disrespectful. One Twitter user wrote: “Trump the only world leader without the respect to wear black at Pope Francis’ funeral. He’s a disgrace to America and the world. God bless Pope Francis.” Another added, “What is it with Trump that he did not even have the decency to wear a black tie, never mind he wore a blue suit.”
Before departing Washington, Trump spoke warmly of Pope Francis, describing him as “a good man” who “loved the world.”
However, he also acknowledged that the funeral would serve as an opportunity to engage with other world leaders.
Speaking to MSNBC, Trump said: “It’s going to be very interesting. We’re going to meet with a lot of the foreign leaders, they want to meet. Trade deals are going very well. I think Russia and Ukraine, I think they are coming along — we hope, very fragile. And Iran, I think, is going very well. We’ll see what happens. We’re working on plenty of things.”