Camilla Jessen
In a brief but closely watched conversation at Pope Francis’ funeral, Trump and Zelenskyy discussed Crimea, weapons aid, and the potential for a peace deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican was “beautiful,” adding that he believes Ukraine is now ready to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, CNN and Sky News reported on Saturday.
The two leaders met briefly ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral. During the 15-minute conversation, Trump said they discussed the issue of Crimea, which, under Trump’s proposed peace plan, would be recognized as Russian territory.
We’ll see what happens in the next few days,” Trump said, adding, “Don’t talk to me about Crimea, talk to Obama and Biden about Crimea.
Trump also said Zelenskyy asked for more weapons during the meeting.
Addressing past tensions with the Ukrainian leader, Trump downplayed their previous disagreements, calling them “a little argument” and describing Zelenskyy as now “calmer.”
“I think he understands the picture. And I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump said.
However, he stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin must also be willing to negotiate.
I want him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal. We have the confines of a deal, I believe, and I want him to sign it and be done with it and just go back to life.
The short but highly anticipated meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy took place just before the funeral service for Pope Francis. Afterward, Zelenskyy said the two had managed to discuss “a lot” despite the brief time.
Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said the meeting was intended to speed up negotiations for a possible peace agreement. The White House described the conversation as “productive,” while Zelenskyy said it “has the potential to become historic if we achieve mutual results.”
Following the meeting, Trump criticized Russia’s latest attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas, questioning whether Putin was serious about ending the conflict.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the upcoming week would be critical for negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine.