Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump held a “very productive” meeting ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral today, though no further details about their discussion have been released. It is believed the two leaders plan to meet again later.
The Ukrainian President was greeted with a huge round of applause upon his arrival at the service, following a few hours of uncertainty about his attendance. On Friday, Italian newspaper La Repubblica quoted Zelensky as saying he was “not sure” if he would have time to attend, explaining, “If I have the time, I’ll surely be in attendance. If I don’t, Ukraine will be adequately represented by the Foreign Minister and the First Lady. However, it is important for me to be here. Tomorrow, we are hosting several military meetings.”
US President Donald Trump, Prince William, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are among the world leaders gathered in Rome on Saturday for the massive open-air ceremony in St. Peter’s Square. The Vatican has confirmed the attendance of 130 delegations, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns.
Today’s encounter marks the first time since February that Zelensky and Trump have seen each other. Their last meeting took place at the White House, where Zelensky signed a minerals agreement with the US. However, that event descended into a heated exchange, with Trump accusing Zelensky of risking World War III and US Vice President JD Vance criticizing the Ukrainian leader for a perceived lack of gratitude.
