The meeting during Pope Francis’s funeral was their first since an angry encounter in Washington, DC, in February.
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “very productive” meeting in Rome, a White House official said – their first since a tense Oval Office meeting in February this year.
“President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion. More details about the meeting will follow,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said on Saturday.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, described the 15-minute meeting as “constructive”, but did not give more details.
The two leaders were in Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. Their meeting comes as efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine-Russia conflict face increasing challenges.
Zelenskyy’s office released photos of the meeting in Rome, offering a rare glimpse into the private talks. In one photograph, the two leaders sat opposite each other in a grand marble hall, leaning in closely as they conversed.
No aides appeared alongside them.
Another image from the same setting shows the Ukrainian president standing in a tight circle with the US president, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy were on full display during their last meeting, when the Ukrainian president faced criticism from Trump and Vice President J D Vance over what they saw as a lack of gratitude for American support. A US reporter also accused Zelenskyy of disrespect for not wearing a suit.
Trump, who has pushed both Moscow and Kyiv towards a ceasefire, said on Friday that talks between his envoy and Russian officials had been “productive,” urging a direct meeting between the two sides to finalise an agreement.
However, divisions have emerged between Washington’s proposals and the positions of Kyiv and its European allies. One major sticking point is a US proposal for legal recognition of Crimea as Russian territory, a move Ukraine and European nations strongly oppose.
Disputes also remain over the timing of sanctions relief for Moscow, the nature of security guarantees for Ukraine, and how Kyiv would be compensated financially.
