Ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral, U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a surprise meeting inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
Images published by Ukrainian officials show an intense “face-to-face” conversation between the two leaders, seated across from each other inside the basilica.
The photos were shared by Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office.
This meeting marks the first direct encounter between Trump and Zelensky since their recent public tensions and comes at a critical moment for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Former British ambassador to Russia, Sir Tony Brenton, told Sky News that the meeting could represent “an important step toward restarting the peace process.”
According to a White House official, the meeting was described as “very productive,” and the leaders agreed to continue talks after the funeral ceremony.
Meanwhile, President Trump’s peace negotiator, Steve Witkoff, held a meeting on Friday at the Kremlin with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Discussions, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, focused on possibilities for restarting direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which have been stalled since the early days of the war in February 2022.
