Zelensky, Trump hold 'very productive' talks before Pope's funeral
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Photos showed the two leaders engaged in a serious discussion just minutes before the funeral began.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican, on April 26, 2025. (AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump met inside St. Peter's Basilica shortly before Pope Francis' funeral.
The White House called the 15-minute conversation "very productive", while Zelensky described it as "very symbolic" and potentially "historic".
Photos showed the two leaders engaged in a serious discussion just minutes before the funeral began.
Their meeting followed Trump’s announcement that Russia and Ukraine were “very close to a deal,” after his envoy, Steve Witkoff, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.
'Symbolic' with potential to be 'historic'
Andriy Yermak, head of Zelensky’s office, posted a photo of the meeting with a single word: “constructive".
Trump and Zelensky held their first meeting since a tense February encounter, engaging in a serious one-on-one discussion at St. Peter's Basilica, which Zelensky called "symbolic" with the potential to be "historic" if it leads to results, despite Trump repeating his claim that Ukraine has "no cards to play."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha captioned the image on X, saying, "No words are needed to describe the importance of this historic meeting. Two leaders working for peace in St. Peter's Basilica."
No words are needed to describe the importance of this historic meeting. Two leaders working for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica. pic.twitter.com/drpwPzM4wN
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) April 26, 2025
Diplomacy at the heart of funeral
A photo shared by the Ukrainian delegation showed Zelensky and Trump standing with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, implying that the two leaders helped facilitate the meeting, which took place before Pope Francis’ funeral.
Upon his arrival, Zelensky sat with Trump in the front row, separated by other world leaders, while Cardinal Re used his homily to echo Pope Francis’ frequent call to “build bridges, not walls.”
Although Ukrainian officials had hoped for a second meeting, Trump departed St. Peter's and left Rome shortly after the funeral, while Zelensky held separate talks with Macron and Keir Starmer and is expected to meet with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Meanwhile, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff concluded his fourth visit to Moscow, with Russian officials describing the talks as "very useful" and suggesting progress toward reopening direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Ushakov also described the "Russian and US positions closer together, not just on Ukraine but also on a range of other international issues" of which the "possibility of resuming direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives was in particular discussed."
In a tense February meeting, Trump accused Zelensky of "gambling with World War Three" by resisting US-backed ceasefire plans, as Kiev faces increasing pressure from Trump to accept territorial concessions, including Crimea, to end the war, an idea Zelensky has consistently rejected, though he recently indicated a full ceasefire could open the door to broader talks.
