US President Donald Trump cast doubt on whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal, shortly after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the hush of St Peter’s Basilica before Pope Francis’s funeral Saturday.
Zelensky said they had discussed a possible unconditional ceasefire with Russia and was “hoping for results” from a “very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic”.
This was the two leaders’ first meeting since a noisy White House clash in February, and after leaving Rome, Trump indicated a new approach to the Russian president.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
The war cast a shadow over Francis’s funeral. Even as it was taking place, Russia claimed its forces had “fully liberated” the border Kursk region.
Ukraine insisted however that its army was still fighting in Kursk, Russian territory which it hopes to use as a bargaining chip in any future peace talks.
Trump and Zelensky sat face-to-face, leaning forward in deep discussion in a corner of the basilica, as the pope’s wooden coffin lay in front of the altar before the funeral, according to images released by the Ukrainian presidency.
“We discussed a lot one on one,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” he added.
An aide to Zelensky described the meeting as “constructive” and the White House called it “a very productive discussion”.
The US president flew out of Rome immediately after the funeral mass and there were no further talks.
But the two leaders also briefly huddled inside the basilica with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron’s office described the exchanges as “positive” and he later met Zelensky one-on-one.
Britain said Starmer and Zelensky had “discussed positive progress made in recent days”.
Zelensky also met Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“Europe will always stand by Ukraine in the pursuit of peace,” von der Leyen told him in a post on X afterwards. “You can count on our support at the negotiating table to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
In St Peter’s Square, Trump rubbed shoulders with dozens of world leaders, many keen to discuss the tariffs he has unleashed.
But it was the meeting with Zelensky that drew the most interest as the US leader pushes for a peace deal.
Both sides had kept the prospects of a meeting vague ahead of the funeral with Trump saying only it was “possible”.
Tensions had been high since Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, calling him ungrateful for the billions of dollars of US military assistance given since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.