Trump meets Zelensky at Pope Francis' funeral, doubts Putin's intentions

 

Trump meets Zelensky at Pope Francis' funeral, doubts Putin's intentions

Pope Francis' funeral in Rome, Italy, provided a rare opportunity for US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet.

Trump, after meeting with Zelensky, questioned Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions to end the war in Ukraine.

After leaving Rome, Trump took to social media to describe Moscow's attack on Kiev earlier this week as Putin's "tease" with him. He also said that "there is no reason for Putin to fire missiles into civilian areas."

Earlier in the day, Trump and Zelensky were seen talking in St. Peter's Basilica shortly before the funeral began.

The White House described Trump's 15-minute meeting with Zelensky as "very productive." On the other hand, the Ukrainian president said that the meeting had the "potential to be historic."

It should be noted that earlier in February, these two leaders met in the Oval Office and during this time, a fierce clash was witnessed between the two. After this, these two leaders have come face to face for the first time.

On his 'Truth' social account, Trump wrote that the Russian attack on Ukrainian cities 'has made me think that maybe they don't want to stop the war, they're just messing with me.' He added that they might have to be dealt with differently, through 'banking' or 'other sanctions'.

Earlier on Friday, Trump said that Russia and Ukraine were very close to a deal after three hours of talks between Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian president.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said on Saturday that Putin had confirmed to Vitkov that Russia was ready for direct talks with Ukraine without any preconditions.

The two leaders met for the first time in Rome since the White House meeting. At the White House meeting, Trump told Zelensky that “you have no cards” and that Zelensky was not winning the war against Russia.

He repeated that message this week, saying the Ukrainian leader “has no cards to play.” Trump has previously accused Zelensky of starting a war in Ukraine and has repeatedly accused him of obstructing peace talks.

But the White House has taken a more positive tone about Saturday’s meeting, with Zelensky describing the meeting as “a very symbolic meeting” and saying “if we achieve common results, it has the potential to be historic.”

Two photos of the meeting have been released, showing the US leader in a blue suit and the Ukrainian president in a black top and trousers, sitting opposite each other in a serious conversation.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha posted a photo of the meeting on the social media platform X, along with the caption: "Words are not needed to describe the importance of this historic meeting. Two leaders working for peace in St. Peter's Basilica."

Another photo posted by the Ukrainian delegation from St. Peter's shows Trump and Zelensky standing with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and France's Emmanuel Macron, with Macron placing his hand on Zelensky's shoulder.

This means that the British prime minister and the French president have played their part in bringing the two leaders together against the somber backdrop of the funeral.

After the meeting, Trump and Zelensky walked down the steps of the basilica, where Zelensky was greeted with applause from the crowd as he arrived, and they both took their seats in the front row.

The two leaders sat a short distance apart during the funeral. Macron and other heads of state sat between them.

In his eulogy, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Rei spoke of Pope Francis’s constant appeals for peace. “Build bridges, not walls,” the cardinal said. It was a piece of advice he repeated over and over.

Ukrainian officials had talked about a possible second meeting between the two leaders, but Trump’s motorcade left St. Peter’s shortly after the pope’s prayer service, and his plane departed Rome shortly after.

But Zelensky then met with Macron in the gardens of the French embassy in Italy, the Holy See’s Villa Bonaparte.

He also met Sir Keir at the British ambassador's residence, Villa Volkonsky, and held one-on-one talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

In a post on X, McJoan said ending the war in Ukraine was a goal "we share with President Trump." He added that Ukraine was ready for an "unconditional ceasefire."

A Downing Street spokesman said Starmer and Zelensky had discussed the recent positive progress towards a "just and lasting peace in Ukraine." They had agreed to "keep up the momentum" and "talk again as soon as possible," he added.

During a bitter White House meeting in February, Trump accused the Ukrainian president of "gambling World War III" by not going along with Washington-led ceasefire plans.

Kiev is under increasing pressure to end the war and is being prepared to strike a deal with Moscow that could cost it some of its own.

The concessions include the alleged relinquishment of large swaths of land, including the Crimean peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

Zelensky has repeatedly rejected the idea in the past. on Friday that "a complete and unconditional ceasefire opens the door to discussing everything."