United States President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, met one-on-one in a marble-lined Vatican basilica on Saturday, April 26, 2025, to try to revive faltering efforts to end Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Zelensky said the meeting could prove historic if it delivers the kind of peace he is hoping for, and a White House spokesman called it “very productive”.
The two leaders, leaning in close to each other with no aides around them while seated in St Peter’s Basilica, spoke for about 15 minutes, according to Zelensky’s office, which also released photographs of the meeting.
The meeting at the Vatican, their first since an angry encounter in the Oval Office in Washington in February, comes at a critical time in negotiations aimed at bringing an end to fighting between Ukraine and Russia.
In a post on social media platform Telegram, Zelensky wrote: “Good meeting. One-on-one, we managed to discuss a lot. We hope for a result from all the things that were spoken about.”
He said those topics included: “The protection of the lives of our people. A complete and unconditional ceasefire. A reliable and lasting peace that will prevent a recurrence of war.”
Zelensky added: “It was a very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic if we achieve joint results. Thank you, President Donald Trump!”
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Steven Cheung, White House communications director, said the two leaders had met privately and had “a very productive discussion. More details about the meeting will follow”.
A Zelensky spokesman had earlier said aides to the two leaders were working on arrangements for a follow-up meeting in Rome later on Saturday.
However, Trump’s aircraft departed Rome with no word on the second meeting. It was not clear if it had taken place, AFP reported.
In one photograph released by Zelensky’s office, the Ukrainian and US leaders sat opposite each other in a hall of the basilica, around two feet apart, and were leaning in towards each other in conversation. No aides could be seen in the image.
In a second photograph, from the same location, Zelensky, Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President
Emmanuel Macron were shown standing in a tight huddle. Macron had his hand on Zelensky’s shoulder.
After Trump and Zelensky met in the basilica, the two men joined other world leaders outside in Saint Peter’s Square at the funeral service for Pope Francis, who made the pursuit of peace, including in Ukraine, a motif of his papacy.
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