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In a significant diplomatic development, US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy met privately in Rome on Saturday, just ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis. The brief encounter, confirmed by both the White House and Ukrainian officials, marks the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since their contentious Oval Office discussion in February.
The two leaders will meet for a second time later in the day, said Ukrainian spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov.
White House communications director Steven Cheung characterised the meeting as “very productive”, noting that further details would be provided in due course.
The Ukrainian presidency also confirmed the encounter, which occurred as world leaders gathered in the Italian capital to pay their respects to the late pontiff, who passed away on April 21 at age 88.
The meeting comes amid ongoing, high-stakes negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump has been actively pressing for a ceasefire, reportedly proposing a deal that would see the US formally recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea and tacitly accept Moscow’s control over other territories in eastern and southern Ukraine.
This proposal has been met with resistance from Kyiv and its European allies, who insist that any territorial questions should be addressed only after a complete ceasefire and should be based on the existing line of control. They are also pushing for robust security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any agreement.
Saturday’s meeting was brief – lasting only several minutes – as both leaders, along with other dignitaries such as French President Emmanuel Macron, joined the funeral ceremony at the Vatican.
According to Ukrainian spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov, Trump and Zelenskyy agreed to hold further talks after the service, signaling that the dialogue remains open despite their differences.
The encounter follows a period of heightened tension between the two presidents. Their last face-to-face meeting in February was marked by pointed criticism from Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who accused Zelenskyy of insufficient gratitude for US support in Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.
With European officials eager to break the deadlock in peace talks, the Rome meeting is seen as a step – however small – toward bridging the gap between Kyiv and Washington.
(With inputs from agencies)
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